Love, An Admirer
by amynixx
Summary: [formerly MIZ JADED] It all started with a simple love letter for James Potter from an admirer.The letter led to friendships, friendships led to confusion and finally confusion slowly led to love. Love, An Admirer [CHAP 17 UP!]
1. Admiration in Secrecy

**_Summary: _**_It all started with a simple love letter, for James Potter, from a lovely admirer. Love letters led to friendships; friendships led to confusion; and finally confusion, slowly led to love. With just three meaningful words, it brought joy to young Potter's heart: Love, An Admirer. _

**_Disclaimer: _**_Anything familiar isn't mine, and unfortunately belongs to the oh-so-brilliant JK Rowling, whom I salute to. This story has _nothing _to do with Can't Hardly Wait. The scene mentioned just _miraculously _resembled it. ) Creations of mine are : Piper Valentine, Fiona Caldwell, Jemima Richards, Emily Hart, Dennis Front, Walter Reese, Winston Reese, Marie Lodge, Yvonne West, Gerald Wills, Kurt Randall, Isabelle Frall, the Fairy and the Portrait Holder Society._

**Love, An Admirer  
Chapter 1: Admiration in Secrecy**

_To the one and only – _

_No, scratch that. It's too sappy!_ An emerald-eyed redhead thought. Lily Evans sighed in frustration and dipped her quill in her personalized inkpot once more. She drew a breath, and made another attempt.

_Dear James Earl Potter – _

_It's too bloody formal!_ she groaned inwardly. Her quill danced across the parchment and canceled out the lines. After realizing the mess she had created, she scrunched up the paper into a ball and threw it on the floor.

After what seemed like fifty attempts, Lily had finally achieved an accomplishment that made her heart soar. Very carefully, she began to write as different as she could from her original writing,

_Dear James,_

_Perfect,_ she squealed. The redhead bore a triumphant grin, not even realizing she had wasted twenty whole minutes composing a rather _un_creative introduction. Not wanting to waste any more time, Lily dipped her quill into the inkpot once more and began pouring her heart out to a clean roll of parchment she was saving to land in (and _only_) the hands of a particular boy in her year...

A mountain of scrunched-up paper balls later, Lily was counting down the seconds she was away from completing her "note of self-expression" – Lily cringed at the mention of _love letter_. Trying very carefully not to ruin her piece of art, she finished the letter with cursive font on the foot of the page,

_Love, An Admirer._

She squealed with delight, and folded the paper neatly. In the letter went, and with a flick of her wand, the name of the recipient magically appeared on the front of the envelope. Very carefully, she put kept the envelope, schoolbooks and quills into her school bag and slowly crept out of the hole which hung a portrait of a beautiful fairy. Suddenly forgetting something, Lily's hand popped into the secret room and with another flick of the magic stick, the mountain of paper balls disappeared.

Whispering a soft farewell to the fairy, Lily Evans left for the Gryffindor Dormitory. The Hogwarts Clock Tower chimed three times signifying the wee hours of the morning, and so Lily tiptoed as quietly as her small feet could manage, not wanting to disturb a soul in the dead of the night.

The morning after, Lily had woken up fresh and (a little too) bright, and couldn't fight the smile that crept on her face. Brushing her teeth rather _too_ enthusiastically, Lily repeated in her mind as she gargled: _Today's the day, today's the day, today's the day!_

Not wanting to waste any more precious time, she ran into a hot shower. Carefully pinning her hair into a bun, she rushed out of the dormitory not wanting to miss breakfast and rather truthfully – the sight of a boy. Waving a hello to best friends Jemima Richards and Fiona Caldwell, Lily rushed to the seat she sat in everyday (before anyone else had the chance to) for it _ironically_ offered the clearest view of a specific member of the opposite sex with unruly black hair and warm chocolate eyes...

Jemima wasn't blessed with average looks as she inherited her mother's long, smooth jet-black hair, which complimented her fair skin greatly. But, the factor that made Jemima stand out in crowds, was her icy purple eyes which were capable of freezing you if they had been enchanted at birth. (a trait she acquired from her great-grandmother). Undoubtedly hot-tempered when it came to "childish boys who have ugly shaggy hair and coloured names", she was also gifted with a very sharp tongue, and never failed to put anyone in their place if she ever saw fit.

Fiona, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. She was petite and was gifted with _the_ most piercing blue eyes. Perfectly framed by strawberry-blonde curly locks, it was a fact that Fiona often stole hearts (rather reluctantly) of many boys her age. Giggling occasionally at the sillest things, she was living proof to _never_ judge a Bertie Bott's bean by the colour. (meant both literally and metaphorically)

'Morning, Lil,' They greeted in unison.

'Hullo, Jemmiona!' Lily chirped. 'What do you suppose the elves prepared for us today on this lovely morning?'

Jemima and Fiona looked at her as if she was some sort of beast Hagrid tried to convince students to marvel at and said, 'Lily, honey, are you okay? We've been having the same thing for _the past five years!_ The only difference is it tastes better by the year. It could only mean the house elves are getting better in their cooking skills or as we grow older... our taste buds are changing,' Jemima finished, wrinkling her nose.

Looking at Lily sideways, Fiona placed her palm on Lily's forehead, and was somewhat disappointed, because it was neither hot nor burning. 'What's funnier is, you haven't called us Jemmiona since the day you first tasted Butterbeer at Hogsmeade...' Fiona trailed off.

Lily who seemed oblivious to all of this seemed to have blocked out everything "Jemmiona" were saying and continued buttering her toast. Humming a popular muggle tune, Lily said in a sing-song voice, 'Pass the marmalade, sweetie!'

Jemima and Fiona drew back in unison and whispered to each other behind Lily's back. 'Do you suppose someone spiked her juice?'

Fiona handed the redhead the requested bottle of marmalade, never leaving her eyes off Lily, 'I honestly can't say. She seems conscious, but then again, she _did_ call us Jemmiona...'

Not wanting to be kept in suspense (something Jemima _hated_ with a passion) she cleared her throat. 'Lily, is there anything you have not been telling us?' Jemima said, rather suspiciously.

'Nothing, Jem. Is it a crime if I feel _exceptionally_ happy today?' Lily sighed dreamily.

'No, no, not at all, Lily,' Jemima said looking at her strangely. 'Not at all...'

Lily sneaked a glance at the ever-infamous James Potter, and saw that he and the "Marauders" (what they called themselves) were in the world of their own, enjoying their daily food fight. She felt her cheeks burn and suddenly quickened her eating habits. As soon as the daily flock of owls arrives to deliver their morning papers, breakfast ended with a rather quiet Lily. Picking up her books for Charms (which was the lesson after), Lily seemed to have regained all sanity and followed Jemima and Fiona into Charms.

* * *

'Settle down, students,' a voice announced. 'Today, I will be assigning each pair to a project,' said a rather vertically-challenged Professor Flitwick. Groans were heard. 

'Now, now, don't worry. You will be put into pairs of the opposite sex - boy and girl,' he continued.

As expected, even louder groans were heard, and even a few giggles from the fairer sex of Hufflepuff.

'Each pair will be given a roll of parchment. Inside, a basic spell will be written. Your task is to discover two more spells which function quite similarly. Then, you are to write an essay which explains its differences.'

The professor was greeted with another sea of negative feedback – but he knew all too well.

'Now when I call your name, the girl called will go to the boy's table. Understood?' he asked.

'Yes, Professor,' the class droned.

'First pair – Mr Atkins and Miss Caldwell.'

A hand - belonging to Jeremy Atkins – rose into the air.

'Yes, Mr Atkins?'

'I don't mean to interrupt, Professor, but which Atkins do you mean?' the lean boy inquired.

Professor Flitwick chuckled and said, 'Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Mr Atkins. _Jeremy_ Atkins will be paired with Miss Caldwell.'

It was a mistake often made by teachers whenever getting the Atkins partnered. They were the only set of twins in this year's Sixth Year batch, and were often mistaken for each other.

Jeremy smiled faintly and beckoned Fiona to walk over to his table, not realizing her cheeks were tinted pink. Lily grinned widely in Jemima's direction, and then at Fiona. It was a fact that Fiona had a crush on Jeremy Atkins ever since third year.

Professor Flitwick cleared his throat and continued, 'Next, Mr _Jeffery_ Atkins will be partnered up with Miss Elliott.'

'Mr Black with Miss Richards, Mr Garcia and Miss Denver, Mr Howard and Miss Paul, Mr Jennings and Miss Courts, Mr Lupin and Miss Sullivan -'

Now while Professor Flitwick was reading off his namelist, Lily had taken the time to study James Potter – and not in an obsessive way, of course. Making as little eye contact as possible, Lily's insides melted as she saw James Potter throw his head back to laugh out loud.

So while our young heroine fawns over our hero, let us acquaint ourselves with him and his henchmen, aye?

James stood out in the crowd – always has, and always will. Notoriously known for his ingenious pranks he played on the Slytherins, teachers and occasional prats, there wasn't a soul who didn't know who he was. The juniors admired him, the seventh years respected him, and even the lot of teachers who had been the victims of his harmful jokes found him rather charming in class.

Crowned with unruly black hair that stuck out no matter how many layers of gel you applied, and intense chocolate eyes that seemed to bore into your soul each time he looked at you, it wasn't surprising that he had many girls falling at his feet. His mischievous twinkling eyes were another trait that most girls seemed to fawn over. Standing at a towering six-feet-one, James had a strong build that was a result of six years of Quidditch training.

His mates whom he is _always_ seen with were equally as famous as him, and were none other than Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew. With names that just etch into your mind rather instinctively, who wouldn't remember these four young lads? Each equipped with a different skill, it wasn't a surprise that each of their pranks ended up a success – with only backfires happening once in a blue moon.

James Potter was undoubtedly the mastermind who choreographed most of the pratical jokes, and Sirius Black was the prankster, whose task is to actually set _up_ the plan or as James would like to put it – _dirty work_. Remus Lupin, on the other hand, was gifted with a soothing tongue that proved handy to talk his (and their) way out of trouble and last but not least, there's Peter Pettigrew – the brains behind their infamous getaways.

And now, resuming to our heroine – Professor Flitwick had finally arrived at the letter 'P' in his name list.

'Mr Potter and -'

Lily's ears immediately perked up as soon as she heard his name, wishing on every star she saw the night before that it would be _her_ name that was to be called soon after.

' - Miss Evans.'

Lily scowled, realizing that she would _never_ be partnered with James Potter, suddenly hating the guts of the girl that was to be graced with his presence until it registered in her brain: The girl that she was supposed to hate was indeed... _herself._

_'_E-excuse me, professor?' Lily asked, pushing her luck.

'I repeat, Mr Potter and Miss Evans,' Professor Flitwick announced.

Thinking that the clouds in Heaven had given away to shine the light on Lily (accompanied by the _hallelujah_ chorus, of course) Lily lost all sensation and went numb. She couldn't believe her ears – and by all means, her _luck_! Not only was she partnered with the boy she had fancied ever since she was fourteen, but it was also opening more chances for her to "accidentally" slip in the letter.

_This is fate – it _has_ to be!_ Lily sighed rather dreamily.

Controlling herself from blushing like a fresh ripe tomato, she hung her head not wanting to be teased by Jemima and Fiona who must have definitely realized something fishy... Having assured herself that she had been revising her introductory moment for ages, you'd think she would have mastered it by now. Rather expectedly, her mind went blank and all she could think of was,

_James Potter James Potter James Potter James Potter James Potter James Potter James Potter James Potter James Potter James Potter James Potter James Potter James Potter James Potter James Potter._

Finally realizing that she was acting like a moronic fool, her estimated ten steps had ended, and here she was – in front of James' desk. Offering her hand out for him to shake, she expected him to take it and greet, 'Hi, I'm James Potter,' but instead all he did was sit back and mumble, 'James Potter.'

Despite her disappointment, she took back her hand, and managed a smile. 'Lily Evans.'

_So he lacks a little in etiquette. Big deal_, she thought. She shrugged it off and sat down. _His tush definitely makes up for it,_ she giggled to herself – a little too loud for her liking.

'So...' Lily tried, starting a conversation. She'd do anything to take James Potter's mind off the fact that she had just giggled like an insane fangirl. 'Have you retrieved the roll of parchment, yet?' she said, trying to break the silence.

And all she got was a, 'No.' _Not_, 'Oh, I'll take it now,' or even a 'Would you mind taking it?', like she had expected. But _nooo_, not James Potter - all he _did _was stay quiet. Lily was one to value etiquette and could not tolerate people who were inconsiderate of applying moral values to their everyday life. Feeling the Irish roots in her boiling, she made a mental note to herself. _Well I'll be damned, he _**is **_rude_

Arguing with herself, she haughtily walked over to the professor's desk, and grabbed the checklist. Ticking the checkbox next to 'Mr Potter and Miss Evans' rather hastily, the quill even left burn marks on the parchment.

She returned to her seat indignantly and began to ponder. _He's not all I thought he was. Instead of a kind, polite, gentleman, his true colours have shown that he is in fact rude and arrogant! And to think that I wasted the whole night writing that stupid letter to him_. Lily thought, biting back tears. _If he's already _this_hostile towards me when I've just gotten to know him, imagine his reaction when he finds the letter! He'd probably even make _**fun **_of it! _

Instead of being nice and polite to him (like how she had planned), Lily Evans had in deed snapped. 'Look, Potter. We're here to complete an assignment, so if you don't mind, I'd rather you stop lazing around and help me start this. I for one want to get an A on this.' And before Lily could even stop herself from acting like a know-it-all fool, it all came pouring out.

_Stupid, stupid, tupid, Lily! You're so _**stupid**_! No matter how rude he is to you, you wouldn't want him hating you or calling you bratty, now would you?_

But instead of feeling guilty, pride got in her way and she pushed the nasty thought out of sight, and held her nose high.

James Potter nearly fell of his chair, but straightened up. She wanted very much to apologize and have him tell her that she was the love of his life in secrecy and that he couldn't live without her, but her fantasy was shattered when she head the ever familiar drawl. 'You're a bit snappy, you know that.'

_The _**nerve**_ of that boy!_ Lily thought, narrowing her eyes at him. Diverting her attention to unrolling the parchment, Lily pretended she was partially deaf. Clearing her throat loudly to overpower his irritating snickers, she read out loud:

_You are to find two similar spells to 'Wingardium Leviosa'. This assignment is due in two months. You are also required to write an essay about its differences. The essay must be at the very least 1 roll of parchment long. Both partners are given an option to either write their own individual essay, or opt to write an essay together, in which tasks must be divided equally. Research is recommended to be done with assigned partners._

_Good luck, _

_Professor Flitwick._

After a few moments of silence, Lily decided to break the ice once more and started, 'So, which are you going to choose?'

'I think it's best if we do one essay together. Don't you think?', James challenged, perfectly aware of the animosity in the air.

_Well, what are you going to do _now_ smarty pants? You now evidently have two choices:_

_1) __Complete the essay with him, and tolerate his nonsense and/or inch closer towards his heart. _

_2) __Write the essay yourself and work alone. Act as if the partnership with James Potter never happened and live your whole life regretting not getting to know James Potter better – prick or not._

After contemplating the pros and cons, Lily made up her mind and picked the obvious choice and said it as coolly as possible, 'Fine, whatever James.'

'Oh, so now we're calling each other by our first names, eh?' he smirked.

'I can call you Potter, if you want, you know.' Lily snapped back, trying her best not to blush. He was flustering her and enjoying it – and the best part? She didn't seem to mind one bit.

'Whatever, Lee-Lee. Quite frankly, I'd prefer you calling me by my first name, unless you're Snape and one of his gits.'

'He's not so bad you know – Severus, I mean. I'm not exactly a friend of his, but I'm on civil terms with him,' Lily reasoned with James.

'That means you're one of his friends, then. F - R - I - E - N - D. Look it up the - '

Did James have the intelligence capacity of a five year old?

'We're wasting our time, so can we please start -' Lily tried to interrupt hastily, but time was up.

'Alright, class. See you tomorrow, and remember; start and complete your projects this time, students. And yes, I mean _you,_ Mr Black and Mr Potter,' Professor Flitwick said in his sternest voice.

Upon hearing the mention of their _humble_ names, Sirius and James gave each other a high-five.

'Oh, great. Charms is over,' Lily sighed in frustration. 'Are you free tonight, James?'

'I'm sorry, but I'm not Lee-L -'

'Oh, would you stop it with that ridiculous nickname! It's Lily, okay. L - I - L - Y. It isn't L - E - E - L - E - E!' She wanted to smack him on his head, but he caught her hand.

'Now, now, Lily. What has your mother been teaching you? Smacking people on their first meet?' James taunted.

Lily blushed, feeling his warm grasp on hers. He let it go instantly not realizing the effect it had on her. 'Well, LILY, I'm _not_ free tonight. I've got Quidditch Practice. How about tomorrow?'

'I'm fine with tomorrow.' She said faintly.

'Very well, then. Well, I – ' James Potter observed Lily tip to toe. She was in such a rush that she had dropped her set of quills and was now flustering and mumbling to herself about how disorganized she was going to be for the next class. He smiled slyly, taking advantage of her innocence. 'I don't know about you, Lily, but we _are_ late for Transfiguration. And you know how Professor McGonagall is about promptness. She'd probably...'

Lily's eyes widened as James trailed off. Not wasting another second, she grabbed all her books and stuffed them into her bag, unaware of the envelope which had fallen out while she was recklessly shoving her books. She ran as fast as her feet could carry her to the Transfiguration Classroom, still oblivious to the clock mounted on the wall.

James laughed heartily, making a mental note to apologize to her for that one. They were still ten minutes early and Professor McGonagall was going to have a hoot having a _perfect_ student like Lily barging in. He met up with Remus, Peter and Sirius who were waiting for him, as the other students slowly filed out of class.

'Where did that redhead you were partnered with go? My, my, James, I didn't know you repelled girls!' joked Sirius.

'Well, I told her that we were late for Transfiguration. I bet I'll be getting a beautiful bruise tomorrow when we meet up to study. Sigh,' James placed a hand over his heart rather mockingly. 'Anyway, how was last night's date with Jane?'

'She's great all right. But not the right one...' Sirius sighed, as if monologue-ing Shakespeare's finer works.

Remus let out an exasperated sigh. 'Then which is, Padfoot? I mean, Jane has been the umpteenth person you've dated!'

'The dishy lass I was partnered up with in Charms – that's who!' Sirius winked slyly.

They continued their conversation of Sirius' love life, about Jemima Richards being out of Sirius' league and how he should apologize to Jane in advance for "simply" forgetting their second date. However, as the heated discussion was going on, somewhere on the other side of the classroom, history was taking place.

As the students were filing out of class, the barren envelope had gotten itself entangled amongst the footwork and steps of rampaging sixteen-year-olds. Very slowly (and quite discreetly), the envelope was miraculously swept away by the traffic of students until it finally landed at Professor Flitwick's desk and placed itself rather comfortably under his foot.

Feeling something foreign under his shoe, Professor Flitwick lifted his foot to find the envelope. He carefully picked the piece of stationary up and inspected it. On it was written in cursive writing (rather affectionately) – _James_.

'Mr Potter?' he called out.

James Potter looked at his teacher. 'Yes, Professor?'

'I believe this is yours.'

James went up to the teacher's desk to marvel at what Professor Flitwick claimed to be his. In professor's hands was an envelope – dirty and trampled, and what was most shocking of all – addressed to _him_. James looked at it, then at the Professor quizzically.

'It was at my feet,' Professor Flitwick chuckled. 'I believe it was meant for you, but was somehow swept away to my desk. Here you are.'

James, still curious, just received the letter from Professor Flitwick's small hands and muttered a thank you to the professor, carefully walking back to the Marauders.

'You lot go on first – I'll catch up with you later,' James said, eyes still fixated on the envelope.

'Aight, Prongs,' said Peter. One by one, Sirius, Remus and Peter left the classroom, glancing at James' curious figure once more and shrugged.

James, even more curious than ever, sat at his desk and examined the envelope. Finally concluding that it wasn't a howler in disguise, or that it wasn't some sort of prank, (and most importantly, not from the Minsitry as it wasn't sealed with wax) he opened the envelope and very carefully, took the letter out.

He unfolded the scented paper, and slowly began to read...

_Dear James,_

_This is probably your -_


	2. Situations Gone Awry

**_Summary: _**_It all started with a simple love letter, for James Potter, from a lovely admirer. Love letters led to friendships; friendships led to confusion; and finally confusion, slowly led to love. With just three meaningful words, it brought joy to young Potter's heart: Love, An Admirer. _

**_Disclaimer: _**_Anything familiar isn't mine, and unfortunately belongs to the oh-so-brilliant JK Rowling, whom I salute to. This story has _nothing _to do with Can't Hardly Wait. The scene mentioned just _miraculously _resembled it. ) Creations of mine are : Piper Valentine, Fiona Caldwell, Jemima Richards, Emily Hart, Dennis Front, Walter Reese, Winston Reese, Marie Lodge, Yvonne West, Gerald Wills, Kurt Randall, Isabelle Frall, the Fairy and the Portrait Holder Society._

_

* * *

_  
**Love, An Admirer**

**Chapter 2: Situations Gone Awry**

_Dear James,_

_This is probably the umpteenth anonymous love letter you've received. But hey, it's worth a try, isn't it? My name, I shall never, ever, reveal. But as that isn't of importance, I would like to reveal that the main purpose of me writing this letter is to tell you... Well, that you are simply liked._

_Stupid, I know - writing a letter to someone as famous and popular as you. Someone who is capable of having girls fall at his feet with the snap of a finger. Someone who could practically date anyone he wanted to. I really don't know how to put it in other words, though._

_First, a brief history about your anonymous admirer:- I attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted to either Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff or Slytherin – and most importantly, I _am_ a member of the opposite sex; a fact that I hope comforts you. However, one clue I CAN give you is that I'm a sixth year too. It may be pointless, but it does narrow down the search options, now doesn't it?_

_Next, about you: I've liked you from afar for the past two years, and have finally gathered the courage, to actually write a letter to you – expressing the feelings I've been suppressing inside for as long as I can remember. Do excuse me if I have exceeded the cliché quota. No, I'm not a stalker, nor am I one of your crazy mindless fans who kill to get their hands on any of your belongings - though I wouldn't mind. Just kidding – really._

_It must be really tough being a Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain, (and a wicked Chaser to boot!) a prefect, a candidate for next year's head boy, and a normal boy all in one. I shamefully admit that I do not know how you cope with your life, and yet, manage to keep up your grades, and heck, you're even the top student in the whole of Sixth Year! Not only that, but you still have time to joke with your friends (the ever so famous Marauders) remain level-headed and maintain a very good reputation. Alas, that is only one of the many reasons I adore you..._

_There are plenty reasons (excuses, really) why I can never seem to remove you from my thoughts and these are the very few I can think of from the top of my head: The way you smile cheekily when you've accomplished something that usually results your notorious (and very well-planned) pranks; the way your eyes twinkle when you laugh; the glow of euphoria you emit when you're flying; the way your eyebrows crease when you're thinking of the strategy for the next quidditch game and, basically, James; you._

_And I hope you are the person I think you are - someone who takes interest in girls' for their inner beauty and personality, and not for their appealing physique._

_As I mentioned before, I'll never reveal my true identity, as I think it useless. I'd rather not take the risk of humiliation if you find out who I am and if you think this is all rubbish, you'd probably laugh at me. However if you do appreciate this letter, it would be my foolishness to blame._

_Before I end this letter, I hope that you'll be able to forgive me (even if you don't know who I am) if I had ever offended you in any way._

_Love,_

_An Admirer._

James' mouth formed an O as he completed reading the letter. He reread it twice just to make sure he was reading what he thought he was. He couldn't believe that someone as sweet as this ever existed. This girl - whoever she was - was undoubtedly an angel. She was right at certain points: her descriptions of him were without a doubt accurate, the way he managed time to sort out his busy academic, co-curricular and normal life, and yet manage to come out on top.

She was also right when she said that this was probably his umpteenth anonymous love letter. Among all of them, this was by far the most interesting one he'd ever read. She seemed to know many things about him – and she was successful in picking out the right choice of words to be used and laid out in a pleasant manner.

All the recent ones were dull and boring, where else this letter really revealed the admirer's true personality. From James' perspective, she had a sense of humour, witty, brilliant and was straight forward (if you don't count the whole name-mystery thing, of course). In fact, he'd probably even feel comfortable around her - if he was ever going to find out who she was.

Suddenly, he remembered the Transfiguration class he was late for. Rather ironic that he was going to be late when he had tricked the redhead into thinking _she_ was late. James swore silently and rushed off to the Transfiguration Classroom, bringing his books and the letter along with him. James Potter was determined to find out who this anonymous admirer of his was, even if it cost him an arm and leg.

* * *

_(Twenty minutes earlier)_

Lily Evans panted as she ran a swift corner to reach the Transfiguration Classroom. She barged into the classroom, unaware of her surroundings and shouted, 'I'm so sorry, Professor!'

Taking in proper breathing intervals, Lily had expected to see her fellow Sixth Year classmates looking at her and a Professor McGonagall tapping her feet, but instead, found Professor McGonagall writing on the blackboard, and instead of Sixth Year classmates, she saw ...

'_Seventh_ years?' Lily gulped silently.

'Miss Evans! What is the meaning of this?' Professor McGonagall demanded.

'Oh, I'm ever so sorry, Professor. Someone,' she said through gritted teeth, 'told me that I was late and I panicked. I'm so sorry for interrupting your class, Professor McGonagall. I think I may have lost track of time,' Lily said, giggling nervously.

Professor McGonagall shook her head and continued, 'This is very odd behaviour – even more so, coming from you! And you're far from late, Miss Evans. In fact - you're ten minutes early! Don't you know sixth years have a ten minute break before Transfiguration for me to prepare the day's lesson?'

'Yes, Professor – it must have been a slip of the mind. Do forgive me, professor. I think, I'd better leave now,' Lily reasoned, feeling sick all of a sudden after receiving humorous looks from the senior class.

'Yes, yes. And do you mind closing the door after you leave?' Professor inquired.

As Lily walked out of the classroom all flushed, she swore she heard Professor McGonagall muttering, 'Ah. Teenagers these days. Suffering from short-term memory so early...'

Lily Evans was fuming and was very angry with James Potter. Struggling to push out the image of a (charmingly) cheeky James Potter laughing at her naivety from her mind, Lily resumed hating his guts for embarrassing her. _That stupid prick! Who the hell does he think he is? He doesn't deserve a bloody admirer – the letter is better off burnt into ashes!_

Stomping all the way to the Common Room, she bumped into a grinning Jemima and a blushing Fiona. Lily was obviously _not_ in her best moods, and so ignored and walked briskly past them

Jemima realizing something was wrong, pulled Lily to a halt. 'Whoa there, Lily! What's wrong, honey?'

'What's wrong? **What's wrong!** _I'll tell you what's wrong!_ The stupid, moronic James Potter – _that's _what's wrong! He's mental, all right! He has nothing better to do but to make my life miserable! If I was a brain surgeon, Jem, I'd operate his brain this instant and prove to you that a few screws in that psychopathic mind of his are lose! Do yoou know what that prick did? _DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE INSUFFERABLE PRICK DID? _He said that I was late for Transfiguration! I panicked of course, and I burst into the classroom, and suddenly, I see _SEVENTH YEARS_ all around me! Not First Years or Second Years, Jem, but OUR SENIORS! I was flushed with fever alright! If you had seen me, I bet you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between a witch and a tomato!'

Despite the commotion Lily was causing in front of the Portrait of the Fat Lady, all the drama that was beginning to ensue did not match to the drama that was about to follow... On the other hand, Jemima and Fiona were stifling a giggle. 'So now why are you headed to the Common Room?'

'Why? _I'll tell you why!_ I'm going to burn this -' Lily rummaged through her bag to find quills, schoolbooks, inkpots, a packet of Bertie Botts' Every Flavour Beans, last month's issue of _The Quibbler_, a sneak-o-scope... _but not an envelope in sight_. 'Wait a minute.' Lily paled for a moment. Soon afterher head was in the bag, and the frantic search began for the missing envelope.

Lily's eyes grew as round as saucers, and sprinted to the Charms Classroom immediately, determined to find the sacred letter, leaving Jemima and Fiona completely clueless.

'Fiona, now I _know_ we have a mental best friend,' murmured Jemima softly, chuckling. 'First _Jemmiona_, and now invisible letters! _Honestly!_'

* * *

As Lily Evans arrived at the Charms Classroom, she saw James Potter at his desk, reading. He looked so focused and... _Snap out of it Lily! Remember, you're here to find the letter to reduce it to ashes; not to admire how sexy he looks when concentrating!_

Her eyes scanned the desks and the floor from outside the room for any sign of the letter. Suddenly, her gaze landed on James again. He'd never look this serious, before. _What on earth could he be concentrating on?_ A white dirty envelope on James' desk caught her eye. _Funny, why does that look so familiar_? Lily started to panic, not enjoying the sensation at all. Her emerald eyes slowly traveled to the piece of paper James was reading, and it wasn't a book he was holding... Nor was it a magazine. He was holding a piece of paper – a crinkled piece of paper with designed corners. It looked ever so familiar... _Silly Lily, isn't it so ironic that the letter James is reading looks exactly like…_

_THE LETTER YOU WROTE FOR JAMES!_

_Oh no, oh no, oh no, oh no! Think Lily, think! Thank Merlin you didn't write your name on it, _Lily hyperventilated. _Now, go back to Jemima and Fiona, apologize to them for being rude. And then, act as though the letter never existed and that you never liked James Potter,_ said the little voice inside her head.

_I do not like him anymore!_ She thought, as if having a debate with the little voice.

_Honey, you **do**__ realise that you're talking to yourself? And that I'm the little voice in your head that knows every single thing that goes on in here?_ replied her conscience.

_Sigh, I guess I'm still head over heels for him... **SNAP OUT OF IT! **__You're going mental, Lily. You're actually talking to yourself!_

Lily shook her head, and returned to Jemima and Fiona. Apologizing using the silliest reasons, Lily carried on a normal conversation about Jeremy and Fiona, pushing out every possible thought of the letter. Making it a point to stand quietly behind the pillar to avoid recognition as the seventh years filed out, she went inside.

Ten minutes later, James made a rather discreet entrane and tiptoed as quietly as he could into the classroom not wiping the dopey grin off his face. Luckily for him, Professor McGonagall was too busy writing an incantation on the blackboard to notice him.

As soon as Transfiguration was over ('Remember, class! Practice your wand-eye coordination!), one-by-one, students left the class to head to Potions. And since Lily was merely two seats away, she seized the opportunity to smack him, which rudely interrupted James' train of thoughts.

_'Ow!'_ he yelped.

'That serves you right, James Potter! That's for being a prick!' Lily smacked him again. 'That's for embarrassing me!' And just as Lily was about to smack him again, Sirius caught her by the hand.

'Whoa there, Lily! As much as I'd like to happily watch you abuse my best friend, may I know what the reason is this time?'

'Because your friend here is a prick!' Lily said defensively, trying to wriggle free of Sirius' grasp.

'Ohhh, it's the prick factor today is it? Very well then – you may continue,' said Sirius reluctantly, letting go of Lily's hand.

'Hey, hey!' James protested. 'I'm sorry, all right,' he laughed. 'I didn't mean to anger you. Maybe irritate you...' But quickly added, 'But not to upset you.'

_'He-llo?_ The class was full of seventh years! SEVENTH YEARS! Imagine how embarrassed I felt!' Lily exclaimed.

'Look, I'm sorry, okay? And I mean it. Besides, if it'll make you feel any better, I'll postpone the Quidditch Practice to tomorrow, okay?'

'Yes, I guess I would be happy...' She said, biting her lip. 'But that doesn't change the fact that I've blacklisted you!' she continued, wiggling her finger at him disapprovingly. Trying her best to resist James' to-_die­-_for puppy eyes, Lily rolled her eyes and smiled faintly. 'Just a reminder, James - its seven o'clock in the library.'

'Very well, Lee.'

'Oh, so it's Lee, now is it?' Lily raised an eyebrow.

'It just suits you well, dahling!' James said with a wink.

'Oh sod it!' Lily yelled haughtily and left in a huff to find Jemima and Fiona.

'Don't forget our study date tonight!' he shouted after her. 'Sirius -'

'Yes, Prongs ol' buddy?'

'Cancel tonight's Quidditch practice. Postpone it till tomorrow, would you? Anything to stop that redhead from beating me up,' said James, shaking his head in a chuckle.

'Whatever floats your boat, Prongs. Good luck tonight!' Sirius called over his shoulder as he walked off, finding another teenage heart to win over.

* * *

**Thanks:**

aharrypotter1fan, MARYAM, pinkyN, The Marauder's Map, Peppermint, axania chic, aaand (blank space)

myrAh


	3. A Woman's Wrath

_**Summary: **It all started with a simple love letter, for James Potter, from a lovely admirer. Love letters led to friendships; friendships led to confusion; and finally confusion, slowly led to love. With just three meaningful words, it brought joy to young Potter's heart: Love, An Admirer. _

_**Disclaimer: **Anything familiar isn't mine, and unfortunately belongs to the oh-so-brilliant JK Rowling, whom I salute to. Creations of mine are : Piper Valentine, Fiona Caldwell, Jemima Richards, Emily Hart, Dennis Front, Walter Reese, Winston Reese, Marie Lodge, Yvonne West, Gerald Wills, Kurt Randall, Isabelle Frall, the Fairy and the Portrait Holder Society._

**Love, An Admirer**

**Chapter 3: A Woman's Wrath**

(_Later that night – 1900 hours) _

The sun was sinking into the horizon, and the skies outside portrayed a beautiful orange and purple fusion. There was no possibility that anyone would want to miss this, but other things were on a particular Lily Evans' mind... Creeping out of the Gryffindor Common Room rather hastily, Lily rushed all the way to the library and didn't bother waste any time. With the wind blowing in her face, Lily began ticking her mental checklist of the books she needed on Levitation and Charms. Just as she reached the last corner, she halted abruptly and smoothened her hair, making sure not a strand was out of place. Not forgetting to even out the crinkles that formed on her robes, Lily Evans casually entered the library as if she was having a stroll.

Just as Lily was about to keep her cool, she lost all rational when her eyes caught the sight of James Potter in deep concentration. He had the same look earlier that morning and Lily didn't like the meaning of this. _Oh bugger, he's reading the letter again! I know, just stay calm and cool, and approach him like you knew nothing about the letter. Ask him a few questions about it too_, _if you like!_ said the annoying little voice in her head.

_Right._ Lily sucked in a breath of air and approached him carefully. She tapped his shoulder and evidently startled him.

Quite taken aback from the fright she had caused him, she said quietly, 'S-sorry! I didn't mean to startle you.'

'Oh, it's okay,' James grinned.

Lily was trying very hard to control her blush-o-meter and didn't know what to do if James Potter began accusing her of resembling a fruit. The silence, however, was deafening and all Lily could do was stare at the cold marble and count the number of tiles.

'Oh yeah, I'm sorry about embarrassing you earlier today,' James began sheepishly. 'I didn't know the class were full of seventh years,' he said, softly.

'I guess I shouldn't have hit you,' Lily replied, laughing nervously.

'Don't worry – it didn't hurt a bit!' Slowly, just very slowly, the atmosphere was beginning to relax. 'Are you sure you gave me your best shot, Lee?' James teased.

'You know, I could always whack you now,' Lily threatened.

'Okay, okay! I surrender!' he said, throwing his arms into the air rather mockingly.

Awkward silence.

'So... What are you reading, anyway?' she asked, desperately trying to break the ice.

'Oh,' Lily swore she saw him blush. 'A letter.'

'A letter, eh? Could it be from one of your fangirls?' Lily tried, making it sound like a tease, as convincingly as possible.

'Well, yeah. Read it, and tell me what you think.' He thrusted her the letter, and she caught it just in time.

Lily reluctantly took the letter from James, and read (well, actually she just looked at it, as she had memorized the context by heart). 'Well. It _is_ kind of sweet.' She said, as if urging James to praise the author to the high heavens.

'Yeah, it is - isn't it?' he replied, rather dreamily.

Lily turned a shade of red, but cleared her throat almost immediately. 'If you don't mind me asking, James, what's with the sudden _niceness_?'

'What do you mean?' he asked quizzically.

'No offense, James, but we hardly ever exchanged words before this. I mean, the most would even be "Could you pass the carrots, please?",' James was about to respond but Lily cut him off abruptly. 'N-not that I'm saying I don't like it. I mean, I can't deny that it is nice having you around,' Seeing that he was smiling she quickly added, 'And despite the fact that I was close to hating your guts this afternoon, I enjoy your company,' Lily finished with a small smile.

'Well, I guess I just don't feel like annoying you right now,' James teased. 'I guess we both gained a friend, ey?' he winked. 'Oh crap, now I'd have to finish Flitwick's assignment,' he mumbled, and then smiled.

Lily giggled, but inside screamed silently, _JAMES POTTER IS MY FRIEND JAMES POTTER IS MY FRIEND!_

'Now all I've got to do is find out who she is,' he muttered.

'W-Why?' Lily asked, turning white

'To kiss her, Silly Lily!'

Lily didn't know whether to cry or scream. James, on the otherhand, laughed at her expression.

'I was just joking. I mean, I've got to confront her somehow – this is the most convincing letter I've yet to receive!' James leaned in to whisper and continued, 'And just between the both of us, Silly Lily, I feel rather flattered.'

Lily mocked shock. 'Are you actually being serious?' _He likes my letter, he likes my letter_! she screamed mentally.

'No, I'm actually James,' He joked.

Lily looked at him as if saying, 'Wha-?'

'Get it? _Are you actually being _Sirius? I'm James? Oh, nevermind,' He brushed it off and ran a hand through his hair. 'It was getting old anyway...' he mumbled. 'The point is, _yes_, I _am _being serious. Besides, if anyone else found out, I could always make your life a living hell. ' He ended his sentence with a wide evil grin.

Lily smiled faintly, and there was a moment of silence, so she broke the silence asking the million dollar question that had been burning in her mind since. 'Say, James,' she cleared her throat. 'If you do find out who she is, what are you going to do? I mean, what are you going to say to her?'

'I'll talk to her - face to face - ask her to tell me everything about herself, why she wrote the letter, why she chose me; though I already know the answer.'

Lily hit him playfully, 'You have a huge ego, you know that?'

'I was just kidding_... Sheesh._ Anyway, if she is like how I'd thought she'd be, I'll date her.'

'What do you think her personality is?' Lily persisted.

'My, my nosy aren't you? For all I care, _you _might be the one who wrote me the letter!' James threw back his head in laughter, and all Lily could do was giggle along nervously.

James finally regained composure and continued, '_I_ think she's brilliant, straight forward, funny, and even though I've never seen her, I'd say she has to be pretty.'

'So if she isn't, you wouldn't date her?' she said, feeling slightly sad. Lily was a teenager who suffered from - what's that term again? – _low self esteem_.

'Of course, I would! I mean, I'm not that type of person, you know?' James assured.

'Right, right,' Lily tried to bite back her grin. Clearing her throat for the umpteenth time, she said, 'Well then, I think we'd better continue with out project - which hasn't even started.'

'Oh, sorry if I delayed it. I just can't get this anonymous admirer - whoever she is - out of my head. I mean, I think she might be _the one_. Of all the other letters I received, hers was the most detailed, most - I don't know, it was like all these words were coming straight from her heart.' James kept rambling on and on about it. 'You must think I'm a fool...' He muttered. He finally looked at Lily and caught her off guard by saying, 'Why, Lee - I mean Lily, why are you blushing?'

'Me? Blushing?' Lily giggled nervously. 'Oh, I was just thinking about someone.'

'Oh... Okay then. The person _you_ admire?' He smiled.

'If you put it that way, yes, I guess.' _And that person is sitting right in front of me_, she added silently.

Now, they would have completed their Charms project in a matter of two weeks, if it hadn't been for _someone_, who kept interrupting their study sessions about his daydreams of a certain anonymous admirer. Though Lily knew it was _she _whom he was having daydreams about, (although she knew she was probably in a body of some other supermodel) and was flattered mercilessly, she couldn't help but feel annoyed.

After what seemed like the hundredth time he interrupted, Lily couldn't stand it anymore, and simply snapped. 'For the billionth time, James, I _know_ you're pining over her, and I know she's probably pining over you too right now, but that doesn't mean you have to interrupt this study session every bloody second!' Lily breathed in and out, slowly. _I did not just say that. I did NOT just say that_. Lily too didn't notice the murderous glares Madam Pince was shooting.

James stopped abruptly, and turned a shade of pink too, realizing how totally unmasculine he was acting.

'I mean you should know by now that I'm a perfectionist,' She sighed, and continued. 'That does _not_ mean you can suddenly stop concentrating, and daydream or babble about her. I know how you feel, _believe me_, I do. But next time, when you think of her, keep it to yourself, why don't you?'

James nodded like a little five-year-old being told by his mother not to accept chocolate frogs from strangers.

'I know Lily, it's just the fact that I can't stop -' James began to continue, but before he could even finish his sentence, Lily shouted in frustration, and attempted to strangle James. Charles Ross of Ravenclaw who just happened to be there at that moment, had to restrain Lily from beating him to pulp – even if it was practically impossible.

* * *

A month later, James Potter was still clueless on who this anonymous admirer of his was; Lily Evans was still head over heels for him; Fiona still blushed whenever she sat next to Jeremy in Charms; Sirius still hasn't found THE one; Jemima still couldn't stand Sirius' annoying antics; Peter was still the quiet and pudgy person he is; and Remus? Well, he was still _Remus_. 

'I'm going mad, Padfoot! I'm _serious_!' James yelled in the boys' dormitory. He looked as if he was capable of pulling out all his hair to pawn it for sickles.

'No, Prongs, _I'm_ Sirius. You don't have to steal my name you know. It's not my fault your parents gave you such a _horrible _name, where else _my_ parents gave me such a _ravishing_, enchanting - ' Sirius rattled on ticking all his positive traits off his fingers.

'Sirius, the joke's _really_ getting old, and is _really_ getting to me.'

'James, you really need to **relax**. Ooh, if she was Heather Miller, that'd be wonderful, wouldn't it? She gives _good _massages. It would relief stress, you know?'

'For the last time, Padfoot, I'm _not_ going to be happy, nor am I going to date any other girl until I find out who this admirer of mine is!' James insisted.

'And for the last time, _Prongsie boy_, for all _you _know, that admirer of yours could be a guy. You never know what goes on in Snape's mind,' Sirius said, wiggling his eyebrow.

James grabbed the nearest pillow at reach and stuffed it in Sirius' mouth, 'You have a_ sick_ mind, you know that?'

Sirius choked, after he removed the pillow. James couldn't tell what Sirius was doing next - laughing or suffocating. Finally concluding that Sirius _was_ in deed moronic and had the intelligence capacity of a seven-year-old, James rolled his eyes and helped Sirius unstuffy himself.

But just as James was about to enjoy the silence, Sirius shattered it by suggesting (rather cheekily, if you ask me), 'I know! Let's pay a visit to Madam Rosmerta, _if you know what I mean_.'

James sighed out loud and said, 'Very well then. Say, do you know where Moony and Wormtail are?'

'Wormtail's in detention with Filch. Moony's, well, still visiting his _sick mum_, if you catch my drift.'

James nodded and rested on his bed, his arms folded under his head. 'I wonder if he's still okay about last night's visit. I mean, I thought we could have gotten caught.'

'I know what you mean,' Sirius trailed off quietly. Pausing to think for a moment, he continued. 'Hey, let's invite the girls!'

'The girls? What do you mean by "_the girls_"? You're acting as though we go out all the time with this _bunch of girls_.'

'Silly, _silly,_ Prongsie. Lily, Jem and Fiona are what I mean by the _girls_. I mean they're the only sensible ones who are a load of fun to hang out with.' Sirius stopped to think for a while. 'Hey, Professor Flitwick has finally done something right!'

'And what's that?'

'Pairing you and I with Jemima and Lily; although Jemima whacks me constantly for hitting on her. I mean honestly, isn't it so obvious she's crazy for me?' Sirius winked.

James snorted. 'Yeah, she's crazy for you all right; _in your dreams._ Come on, I'm getting restless as it is. Call them, would you? I heard it's chilly in Hogsmeade.'

'Aight, then. Meet me in the Common Room in about five minutes,' Sirius replied in a sing-song voice, heading out of the dormitory. Heading towards the girl's quarters, Sirius muttered an incantation (something he had picked up from a senior, and perfected!) to deactivate the spell, which had been cast on the staircase leading to the girls' dormitory to prevent cheeky members of the opposite sex from sneaking in. The sneak-o-scopes laid outside the dormitory by cautious students started spinning uncontrollably, but Sirius was prepared and drew his wand to take care of that. Making sure he was at the right door, Sirius, being the utterly annoying person he was, barged in, without taking the girls' privacy into consideration in the very least. ... However, the sight he met with was something never to be forgotten.

_'PUMPKIN-POOOOO_!' he wailed out loud, running in. Once inside, he saw Lily sitting on the bed, writing in a diary, with a look of horror on her face; Fiona having a nap - still sleeping soundly (she was clever enough to put a silencing charm around her four poster bed); this one girl he didn't notice putting on some make-up, suddenly having lip stick smudged all over her cheek and - _get ready for this_ - Jemima, with only a wet towel around her.

As soon as her eyes met his, her grasp had loosened and her towel nearly dropped to her ankles if it weren't for Lily's quick thinking. (and nifty spell!) Instead, she let out a bloodcurdling scream that even shook the banshees in all of Scotland. Instinctively, she grabbed the closest object in reach (which were, unfortunately for Padfoot, _clogs_ which Fiona bough for her from Holland last winter) and hurled it in his direction.

Sirius ducked and did the first thing he thought off – fled as if his life depended on it.

_'SIRIUS BLACK! YOU ARE GOING TO BE A ROTTEN TOMATO WHEN I FIND YOU_!' echoed through the Gryffindor dormitories.

Sirius ran to the Common Room, panting, and began shielding behind James. 'What on earth happened?'

'Barged in - pumpkin-poo – half naked - threw clogs – near concussion - ran,' Sirius was still panting, taking in breaths slowly.

'No wonder,' James whistled. 'You're dead as a duck, my dear friend; _dead_.'

As if on cue, Sirius started running, and Jemima was hot on his trail. James chuckled and went to find Lily. She came down to the Common Room, just in time to witness everything. Spectating the cat-and-mouse chase, Lily laughed.

'Lily! Wanna go to Hogsmeade?' he asked casually.

'H-Hogsmeade? But how? I mean, it's not Hogsmeade weekend.' She said flabbergasted. Lily then bit her lip. _Stupid, he obviously knows a way. Why would he be asking you anyway?_

'I have my ways...' he grinned his award winning smile, and Lily - who couldn't resist - nodded.

Half an hour later of convincing Lily that the invisibility cloak _was _real and that four schoolboys managed to create a map that could tell what everyone was doing in Hogwarts, James managed to coax her to go through a secret tunnel with him that would wind up in the Honeyduke's cellar.

'You want to get some Butterbeer?' he offered.

'Obviously, I mean of course! I mean sure, I mean -'

'Are you all right Lily? You don't sound like yourself at all.' He looked at her with his eyes full of concern. All Lily ever wanted to do right now was to grab and kiss the daylights of him - heck wouldn't anyone want to? - but luckily, she resisted. 'I'm fine. Well, are we going to get Butterbeer or not?'

'That's the Lily I know!' James smiled and went into the Three Broomsticks.

They laughed, talked, discussed, flirt - _no they didn't flirt, though Lily wished they did_ - and laughed some more. It was certainly refreshing for James who hadn't enjoyed unadulterated fun for quite some time. Lily was definitely enjoying herself and felt that she was terribly blessed to be in the company of James Potter – and that fact alone sent her soaring in the skies. Wanting ever so much to freeze time and never leave Three Broomsticks, Lily realized that everything good _does_ eventually come to an end.

Creeping back to Hogwarts, Lily (a teeny bit tipsy) and James had managed to escape Filch's clutches. Lily would have wanted to assume that she had just returned from a date James Potter, but knew better than to fill her mind with foolish thoughts. Assuming they finally complete the Charms project, she knew that James would resume to being the out-of-reach crush he had been for the past two years. Dwelling in her own thoughts, she was shaken out of her reverie when she heard a very familiar voice just as she was about to mutter the password for the Fat Lady.

_'You can't stay up there forever, Black!'_

Lily and James rolled their eyes, knowing perfectly well who the voice belonged to. Off they went to find Jemima and Sirius. After casting a locating spell, the results led them to the Hogwarts Grounds and saw a feminine figure with a blanket wrapped around breathing out cold air. Craning their necks, Lily and James caught sight of Sirius on the roof railing, balancing, and Jemima standing below, looking as if they did this every evening.

'I know! But you too! I mean, aren't you cold?' Sirius said with chattering teeth.

'Yes, but, _ohmigod_, I just realised I'm a witch!' she said sarcastically. 'I'm not dumb, you know. I can easily conjure fire.'

Lily and James came in the nick of time to come to his aid. Realising that he was clearly making a fool of himself in front of his best friend, Sirius laughed nervously.

'How long has he been standing up there?' asked James, staring at the petrified boy.

'Gee, let me think... _Since he barged into our dorm when I finished bathing_!' Jemima lashed, shooting death glares at the terrified Sirius.

'Oh, Jemima. Give him a break. You obviously didn't do it on purpose, did you Sirius?' James began, cocking his head at Sirius who shook his head vigorously.

'And you never meant to call her pumpkin-poo, did you?' Lily asked Sirius kindly, while James cut in, in disbelief. 'You called her _pumpkin-poo_?'

Sirius thought for a moment, 'Actually... - _no_!' He yelped as soon as he saw Lily's murderous glares.

'There! See, Jem? He _is_ sorry after all,' Lily pressed.

'Well, I guess.' Jemima sighed and said, 'Well, you can climb back down, Black. I'm not going to hurt you.'

An unconvinced Sirius still harboured the look of fear in his eyes and didn't move a muscle.

'Come down now before I change my mind!' Jemima ordered.

Sirius heaved a sigh of relief and slowly climbed down, and started, 'Phew, for a moment there, Jem, I thought you were –'

'Got you!' Jemima shouted. Followed by a few mumbles, that was all Sirius heard before all his movements were frozen. All that could move now were his eyeballs.

'Jemima! What did you do?' squeaked Lily.

'Oh, just a simple freezing charm I learnt from Michael. Her performed it on me once.' Jemima grinned evilly.

James, who couldn't imagine how it must have felt for Sirius to be jinxed by a _girl _no less, threw his head back and roared with laughter. But he kept quiet as Jemima gave him the, _I-did-it-to-him-and-I-can-do-it-to-you-too _look.

'How long does it last?' inquired Lily.

'Oh, _only _about 12 hours,' Jemima whistled.

'You do have a reverse spell, don't you?'

'Of course. But I won't use it until I have the heart to.' Jemima smirked.

'You know, since you froze him, our Common Room would look nicer with a statue, don't you think, Lily, Jemima?' James asked grinning at the Sirius statue.

'Oh, of course I do! Come on then, it's getting late and chillier outside by the minute,' replied Jemima.

James levitated the Sirius statue to the Common Room, left him there, and went off to dinner. Sirius' eyes looked horrified as they left him there, looking in all directions. After five minutes, Lily and Jemima both returned to the Common Room to un-do the spell. As soon as all the ice melted, Sirius snatched Jemima's wand from her grasp and declared revenge, and well, as they say – history was now repeating itself.

**Thanks to:**

aharrypotter1fan, (blank space), As de corazones , wacky girl 2002, Princess Ashley (aka MO, Tess, Lina Shay, rinoa and (another blank space)


	4. Eavesdroppers

_**Summary: **It all started with a simple love letter, for James Potter, from a lovely admirer. Love letters led to friendships; friendships led to confusion; and finally confusion, slowly led to love. With just three meaningful words, it brought joy to young Potter's heart: Love, An Admirer. _

_**Disclaimer: **Anything familiar isn't mine, and unfortunately belongs to the oh-so-brilliant JK Rowling, whom I salute to. Creations of mine are : Piper Valentine, Fiona Caldwell, Jemima Richards, Emily Hart, Dennis Front, Walter Reese, Winston Reese, Marie Lodge, Yvonne West, Gerald Wills, Kurt Randall, Isabelle Frall, the Fairy and the Portrait Holder Society._

**Love, An Admirer**  
**Chapter 4: Eavesdroppers**

September had come and gone, and the whole school was called to gather in the Great Hall for a special assembly. Everyone began having ants in their pants and was talking excitedly during dinner, as this was the time Professor Dumbledore was going to announce the year's Halloween Ball theme. It was somewhat unusual this time around as the headmaster would usually only round up the Sixth and Seventh Years, but everyone was included this time. The girls, especially, were giggling and restless, going from table to table asking each other's opinions on this year's theme.

Professor McGonagall clinked her glass, and everyone quieted down. Professor Dumbledore cleared his throat and began, 'Good evening, everyone. As you all are expecting, I will be announcing the theme of this year's Halloween Ball.'

The anticipation heightened, and the students were on the edge of their seats, perking their ears to listen intently. The Hogwarts' Halloween Ball was held annually and was the only time students were allowed to dress up and dance the night away. It was also the school event that _every_ one looked forward to, as if this was amiss, the only other time students had the opportunity to experience a ball would be during inter-school competitions which were held to honour the guests from neighbouring schools like Nostradamus Witch Academy and Beauxbatons.

'But, this year, it's going to be _very _different,' Professor Dumbledore continued. The aged wizard chuckled at the look of horror on everyone's face - especially the sixth year's as it was going to be their official first year of being able to attend a ball, without being asked by an senior. 'This year's Head Boy and Head Girl, Jerry Blake and Roberta Wilson -' They both stood up, smiling. 'have decided to cancel this year's Halloween Ball.' Gasps filled the hall. A few girls from Hufflepuff even came close to fainting.

'Now, now, don't worry. You didn't allow me to end my sentence. Instead of having our annual Halloween Ball, they have decided to have a Yule Ball that will take place on the 25th of December. I know that most of you would prefer to return home to celebrate Christmas with your families, but I do hope that you'd stay and celebrate your Christmas with us, at the ball.

'But since it's our very first Christmas Ball, _students in their Fifth Year and above, _instead of their normal Sixth, are allowed to attend the ball,' Yelps of joy from Fifth Years were heard, but disappointed cries came from the First, Second, Third and Fourth Years. 'Only the third and fourth years are allowed to attend it if they are invited. Right then, you may now resume to your respective dormitories. Thank you for your attention.'

Prefects began leading students back and persistently tried to shush them. The atmosphere was filled with mixed emotions – some sad that they weren't going to have a Halloween Ball, but most excited they were going to have their first Christmas Ball.

Suddenly, Professor Dumbledore stood up again and said, 'Oh, and before I forget, since this year's Head Prefects are ever so generous, we're going to have a Halloween Feast which will take place on the 30th October evening as a compensation for the Halloween Ball annulment, and this time, it is open to all students. Thank you.'

As the Great Hall erupted in applause and cheer, Lily Evans was daydreaming - about a certain jet-black haired boy with warm chocolate orbs that was capable of making girls melt. There she was in a garden wearing a long white dress (no, she wasn't getting married), walking and singing with bluebirds. How corny and cheesy can daydreams get?

There she was, her long wavy auburn hair falling on to her back, her white pale face with pink cheeks. Suddenly, from the middle of nowhere the infamous James Potter appears with the cheeky grin of his plastered on his face. He began to sing, 'Lily, would you go with me to the ball?'

It was as if she was in a musical.

Just as she was about to open her mouth and shout her approval and snog him as if her life depended on it, she stirs and in front of her isn't the pair of chocolate brown eyes she was melting into, but instead, purple ones – Jemima.

Waving her hand continuously over Lily's unfazed eyes, she shouted, _'He-llo_! Lily Evans! _Lily Evans!' _Knowing that she was going to have to resort to drastic measures to awake Lily from her daydream she smiled coyly and whispered, 'Lily, James Potter is half naked, dancing on the Gryffindor Table!'

'What?' Immediately Lily looked up, and to her dismay saw nothing. Instead, she blushed.

'So it is true.' Jemima whistled.

'What? What's true, Jem?' Lily said, trying to act innocent, tucking a loose strand of auburn hair behind her ears. It was a known fact that Lily wasn't exactly the world's greatest actress.

Jemima rolled her eyes. 'Oh, come on Lily. I've known you since we were eleven and here you are keeping secrets from me. Why didn't you ever tell me you fancied James Potter?' Jemima's eyes softened a little.

Lily thanked the heavens that the Marauders were in detention. 'You're crapping, Jem. You know that?' Lily giggled nervously, a little too high-pitched. Jemima gave her the You're-the-one-crapping-and-why-didn't-you-tell-me-earlier? look. Deciding that she could never keep anything fom Jemima, Lily finally gave up and confessed, 'Does it show that much?'

'It doesn't Lily, believe me, it doesn't. I just know these things, you know? So why haven't you told me? I mean, you told me you fancied Amos in Third Year,' Jemima said smirking.

Lily clamped Jemima's mouth shut. 'Shhh! He can hear, you know!' Lily couldn't help but blush. 'That was _different_, Jem. I was 13, for crying out loud! I was just a silly naïve schoolgirl back then.'

'You still are, Lily!'

Lily hit Jemima playfully. 'You better not tell anyone, Jem. Except Fiona, of course.'

'I won't, Lily. Don't be such a worrywart. Like I said, we've known each other since our first year here,' Wanting to squeeze out the juice details from Lily's fantasy, Jemima persisted, 'How long have you fancied him, Lily?'

'Fancied who?' a deep voice inquired behind them with a note of amusement in the tone.

Lily and Jemima turned around and came face to face with James Potter and the rest of the Marauders. Just as Lily was about to scream bloody murder, Jemima foresaw it and quickly clamped her mouth with her hand. Visibly relaxing, Jemima loosened her grip and removed her hand slowly, giving time for Lily to calm down.

'Oh, hello James! Sirius, Remus, Peter,' Lily chirped. Feeling James' eyes bore into her soul as if waiting for her answer, she squeaked, 'Oh, someone...' Lily giggled nervously, twirling a few strands of hair. Seeing this, she released the strands and turned a shade of red. She only twirled her when she was nervous and only Jemima and Fiona knew it. The Marauders glanced at her awkwardly and shrugged. The four of them dispersed – each looking for a student to ask about the informative assembly they had missed.

'So, Lily, how long have you liked _him_?' Jemima asked as soon as they were out of earshot.

'Two years.' Lily said quietly.

'Holy whiskers! I wish I was like that,' Jemima sighed dreamily. 'Hey, since you're working with James in Charms,' She winked at Lily, 'he must have told you all about the mysterious letter he received.'

Again, Lily blushed and replied quietly, 'Yes.' She paused for a while. She turned left and right, making sure James and Co were as far as possible, and that none of James' three F's - friends, foes or fans - were nowhere near. She whispered, 'It's me.'

Jemima's eyes widened and suddenly, she was grinning from ear to ear. 'Get _OUT!_' Jemima laughed so hard that Lily had to smack her to keep her from attracting everyone's attention. 'So _that_ was why you were away for _sooo_ long the day before Charms... So, when are you going to tell him?'

Lily looked at her softly and said, 'I'm never going to, Jemima. The day I tell him,' Lily laughed hoarsely, 'is the day I'm crowned the Queen of England!'

Jemima's eyes softened again and said, 'Lily, what's the use of writing him an "anonymous love letter",' she lectured, gesturing the inverted commas, 'if you're never going to tell him.' Again, she went into her dreamy voice. 'That's what anonymous LOVE letters are all about. First, you proclaim your undying love -' Lily snorted. 'to him with words without leaving a single trace of evidence... Then, the hero reads it and falls in love with the writer, not knowing she's under his own nose... The girl falls even more madly in love with him. And then -'

'Oh for Merlin's sake, Jemima, write a book, will you? "Writing Anonymous Love Letters For Dummies". Would be a best seller, don't you think?' Lily asked sarcastically. 'If I tell him, he'll probably just laugh at me, and if worst comes to worst, he'll even tell everyone!'

'Then how do you expect him to like you Lily, if you don't tell him you like him?'

Lily smiled faintly and said, 'I believe in fate, Jem. If James and I are meant to be, then we'll get together, somehow. But, if we aren't, then what's the point?'

Without another word, Lily left the table to go to the Girls' Dorm to avoid further interrogation. Taking a detour, Lily walked past a row of empty classrooms. Lily heard faint voices, and followed the trail, feelng even more curious than ever. As she reached her destined destination, Lily couldn't help but overhear a rather _amusing_ conversation.

'What do you mean – you think it's Carissa - Carissa Andrews?' said a voice, which sounded very familiar - Sirius.

'I don't know, Padfoot,' That was undoubtedly James Potter's voice – something Lily could recognize a mile away. 'I mean, I caught her eye a few times. She's very pretty if you ask me. She's also the top student in Ravenclaw. I really hope she is the one who wrote the letter. I mean, I've had a crush on her since 5th Year!'

With that piece of information, it struck a blow to Lily's heart. Cursing inwardly for planting false hopes, she had finally come to her senses that someone like James would never even _think_ about having feelings for a wallflower, like Lily.

_And I had been so stupid to think that he'd actually like someone like me,_ Lily thought bitterly. _How blind have I been? It's bloody obvious he likes her... She is the top student in Ravenclaw, one of the prettiest too, and a very nice girl. I can't bring myself to hate her... Heck, even the_** Slytherins' **_don't have a reason to hate her. She's nice to everyone... Including **me**_.

Lily walked off rather solemnly, not realizing that someone was watching her eavesdropping, all along. As soon as she was out of earshot, her on-looker crept away quietly, too, whispering, 'Lily likes James.'

**Thanks to: **aharrypotter1fan, MaggieDB, Skye007lex, Jess the Great(the next chapter will be dedicated to u, coz it's gonna be a james pov! Thanks for the idea!), Rini aaaaand Lina Shay (LoL... I know! I made them up... it's kinda nice making up these stuff, don't u think? Oh n thanks for adding me to ur fave list!)!


	5. My Angelic Phantom

_**Summary: **It all started with a simple love letter, for James Potter, from a lovely admirer. Love letters led to friendships; friendships led to confusion; and finally confusion, slowly led to love. With just three meaningful words, it brought joy to young Potter's heart: Love, An Admirer. _

_**Disclaimer: **Anything familiar isn't mine, and unfortunately belongs to the oh-so-brilliant JK Rowling, whom I salute to. Creations of mine are: Piper Valentine, Fiona Caldwell, Jemima Richards, Emily Hart, Dennis Front, Walter Reese, Winston Reese, Marie Lodge, Yvonne West, Gerald Wills, Kurt Randall, Isabelle Frall, the Fairy and the Portrait Holder Society._

_**Author's Note: **This chapter is dedicated to Jess the Great, who requested a chapter in James' point of view. Enjoy, hun:)_

**Love, An Admirer**  
**Chapter 5: My Angelic Phantom**

_(James' POV)_

It's been a month or so since I first received the letter; may it be confession, declaration, love note – whatever. I'm trying to be as uncliché as possible – though it is practically impossible when one talks about _love_ – but the letter has _definitely_ changed my life in so many ways.

For one, I never knew someone who liked me _this_ much existed. I, for one, am well aware of the scatter of girls that follow me at any possible chance and there is no doubt to the reason they do – my devilish good looks. There's no point denying it – I've inherited the Potter charm and I'll be damned if I hadn't used it over the years. I'm not bragging or anything, but who else has received cupcakes smothered in love potion on their birthday not from one girl, but ten?

'Dumbledore called an assembly, Prongs. Such a pity Filch had to dismiss us early,' Sirius said sarcastically, placing a hand over his heart rather mockingly. Remus and Peter snickered behind him.

Ah, yes – we were serving detention with Filch when the school owl arrived in his office, calling all students to the Great Hall. We were scrubbing school trophies – ironic, isn't it, considering the fact that most of the trophies have my name engraved on it – as a punishment for flooding the bathrooms yesterday evening.

But anyway, this girl, whoever she is, she liked me for who I am... And I'm going to find her. However, the little cynical voice in my head whispers that she may just be a con artist who just happens to be gifted in writing and is only after my pot of gold. I, however, refuse to believe that someone like herself – she made it _perfectly_ clear that she was of the opposite sex – is capable of fraud as I had felt so much emotion in the letter.

Oh, didn't I tell you? I'm loaded. Well, more specifically, my parents, but that's another story.

Apart from the angelic phantom (ah, what is an admirer without a dubbed nickname?), I made a new friend – Lily Evans. Flitwick had partnered us together for a Charms project. We hit it off instantly (or so I'd like to think) and it still puzzles me how we hardly crossed each other's path, considering that we are both sixth year Gryffindors. Lily was amusing and made me laugh. She had her quirks, and I found them interesting.

No doubt she's pretty, too.

I thought about this on the way to the special assembly Dumbledore called for, from detention with Filch. But just as I was about to ask Ernie what had happened, I couldn't help but overhear a conversation between Lily Evans and Jemima Richards.

Jemima was whining and asking Lily, 'I won't, Lily. Don't be such a worrywart. Like I said, we've known each other since our first year here.' Pause. 'How long have you fancied him, Lily?'

So there _was _a bloke in Lily's life, after all. Rather curiously, I raised an eyebrow and crept behind them, 'Fancied who?'

Their heads whipped around abruptly and Lily's eyes widened. Suddenly, Jemima clamped Lily's mouth with her hand as if Lily was suppressing a scream. Lily calmed down and said cooly, 'Hi James. Sirius, Remus, Peter.'

She was definitely trying to run away from the question so my eyes never left her. Realising I wasn't going to say anything until she replied my question, she continued.

'Oh someone...' Lily said, giggling nervously and twirling a few strands of hair. And then, she suddenly loosened her grasp.

Girls can be odd, don't you agree?

I just looked at her quizzically and walked away, looking for someone who could fill me in on the announcement. I finally found Mundungus, but while he was explaining the cancellation of the Halloween Ball, I couldn't help but divert my attention to something else, I_ swore_ I saw Carissa Andrews, - the girl I had an on/off crush on since 5th Year - a prefect and top student in Ravenclaw, all round nice girl, staring at me. She blushed and quickly turned away, when I caught her eye. Quite attractive too, if I say so myself.

Suddenly, it all clicked.

_She_ could be the Admirer.

_She_ could be the one who wrote the letter.

_She_ could be the **ONE**.

Rather instinctively, I yanked Sirius away from the group of girls he was being surrounded with and dragged him into an empty classroom. And before you could even say 'Fizzing whizzbees!' I began pouring out _everything_ about the Carissa theory.

Sirius was leaning against a chair and said, 'What do you mean – you think it's Carissa - Carissa Andrews?''

'I don't know, Padfoot! I mean, I caught her eye in the hall just now... She's pretty, and even the top student in Ravenclaw! I really hope she's the one who wrote the letter. I mean, I've had a crush on her since 5th Year!' I practically shouted.

Suddenly, I could have sworn I heard the sound of footsteps dying away. I popped my head out of the classroom, but no one was there.

Creepy.

Sirius heaved a sigh and said, 'Well then, Prongs. What are you going to do? I mean, for all we know, she might _not _be the one. And you may just make a fool out of yourself by suddenly telling her you love her letter. How now, brown cow?'

I looked at him strangely.

'Sorry,' Sirius mumbled, feeling the nape of his neck. 'Been using a lot of muggle phrases, lately,' he said, shuffling his feet.

I cleared my throat and replied, 'Anyway, I've got no bloody idea...' I leaned against the wall, and then straightened up immediately, soon after. 'I know! I'll ask her to that,' I snapped my fingers trying to recall the ball that Mundungus Fletcher, a friend of mine mentioned after I came back from detention.

'Christmas Ball?' Sirius offered.

'Yes! That Christmas Ball... In fact, 'll ask her now!' I was about to leave the classroom, when Sirius pulled me by the collar.

'Hold it, Jamesie. You're forgetting something. Dumbledore just announced the Christmas Ball today. What date is it, James?'

'It's the 20th October.' I replied matter-of-factly.

'Exactly, and what is the date of the Christmas Ball, my dear friend?'

'25th December.'

'Wonderful, Sherlock!' And upon my second strange look, he immediately muttered, 'Right, right, too many muggle references... But anyway, that's like two months away! Wouldn't it be obvious, then, that you like her?'

'Well... Kinda. But then... _When_ am I going to ask her to the ball?' I whined.

Sirius smirked and just said, 'Next week, or two weeks from now. You've got to keep it _cool, _my boy!'

The project dateline was edging closer and closer, thus I called an emergency meeting with Lily at the library. Professor Flitwick threatened to owl my mamma if I didn't score an A (now this wouldn't be a problem, if only I hadn't been feeding her stories about how I hand in my work on time, etc.)

I greeted her, but she was too busy scribbling something on a piece of paper. She finally looked up when I waved my hands in front of her face. Oddly, Lily smiled sadly today, and said softly, 'Hi James. How come you're suddenly so,' Lily swallowed. 'cheerful?'

I dragged a chair and sat across Lily, not being able to contain the excitement.

'I think I know who she is.' I beamed at Lily as if I won a million galleons.

I was expecting a burst of applause, or at least something to indicate how happy she felt for me, but instead, all that could go through my mind was: _Why does she look so sad_? I wondered with curiosity, amidst the joy I felt.

I brushed it off and continued, 'So anyway, I thought it might be,' I looked side by side, making sure no one was listening, and whispered, 'Carissa Andrews.'

I looked at her with full confidence, waiting for her response, but I could have sworn I saw her eyes watering. And then suddenly, she brightened up and remarked cheerfully (_I think_), 'That's wonderful, James! So are you going to ask her to the ball?'

I cleared my throat and said sheepishly, 'Well, I wanted to - I mean I'm going to - I mean I wanted to earlier, but Sirius said it might be showing too much.'

'Showing what too much?'

'The crush I have on her...'

I don't know why... But I felt _uneasy_ telling her.

'Oh, that's good then! She might be the one who wrote the letter, and you like her! Isn't that wonderful?'

Is it just me, or is everything... _too_ smooth?

'Umm... Yah, I guess.' I simply grinned like an idiot.

'Anyway,' she cleared her throat. 'I think we better get started.'

'Right, right. Okay. You were saying...'

Two weeks passed; two **bloody** weeks! A number of girls asked me to the ball, and I was kind of surprised. I mean each and every one of them who asked never seemed to fit in the description of being "the one". Heck, even a few Slytherins' asked me. I felt kind of bad turning them down, though. Slytherin or no Slytherin, they're still girls. Merlin, I'm sounding like my mother who told me off for not accepting the first person who asked me to the Halloween Ball last year.

And yet, as the days passed, Lily seemed to look even paler. I'm still wondering why...

Anyway, I've made up my mind to ask Carissa to the Christmas Ball. Heck, my palms are already sweating!

Finally, after breakfast, I caught up with Carissa - and her friends.

'Uh, Carissa?' I croaked, tapping on her shoulder.

Immediately, Carissa, and five other heads turned around to look at me.

'Um, can I talk to you - ' I gulped. 'alone?'

It was nerve-wrecking!

However, I swear I saw a blush creep on her cheeks. (My head isn't not inflating, she really was!) She turned to her friend and said, 'I'll catch up with you later, guys.'

All of them giggled and nodded and left. I reddened in embarrassment. Geez, what does a lad have to do for compassion here?

'Um, Carissa... Are you - I mean. Would you -'

And before I could even complete my sentence, the bell went off signaling the end of breakfast.

**_Oh, sod it!  
_**  
'Oh, I'm so sorry, James. I'm going to be late for class. Um, do you if we talk after lunch?'

'Oh, sure. Sure. I don't mind at all.'

Yeah, right. Just when it was the perfect chance for me to ask her to the ball, the bloody bell rang.

I muttered curses under my breath and left for Transfiguration, hoping my luck would be better there.

Finally, after waiting for what seemed like _centuries_, lunch came and went. There it was again, my sweaty palms.

_Get a grip on yourself, Potter!_

But the truth is, I can't...

I slowly walked to the Ravenclaw table. Counting each step I took, I avoided her gaze. Finally, when I reached the spot where she sat, I took a deep breath and tapped her shoulder. She turned around, and everything was in slow motion. The way her hair swished when she turned her head... It sounds corny, but I swear, that was what I _really_ saw! I was too mesmerized, that she had to call my name a few times to wake me from my dream. I apologised sheepishly and began stammering again. I hardly do that, actually, come to think of it, I _never_ do that. Boy, lucky Padfoot wasn't here or he'll use this as blackmail for ages...

Suddenly, as I was about to ask her, I saw Padfoot crouching behind the closest pillar to the Ravenclaw table. He was giving me a thumbs up sign.

**Speak of the devil.**

So I cleared my throat, wanting to sound as natural as possible. 'Um, Carissa... I was wondering, if no one has asked you to the ball yet... would you like to be my date?'

As I saw the expression on her face, it was a mixture of excitement AND sadness. Merlin, that's a definite no.

Well are you happy now, Potter? Mr Calm & Cool has officially lost his marbles. In front of the prettiest girl, no less.

I winced, as she began to answer.

She bit her lip before answering my question. 'Oh, I'm so sorry, James. Kurt asked me this morning,' A blow to the head, definitely. 'But, I wouldn't mind sharing a dance with you on that night. I mean, Kurt even asked my permission if he could dance with other girls on that night. We both agreed that we wouldn't mind,' She grinned the enchanting grin of hers. 'I'm really sorry, James.'

Damn that Randall! I was on friendly terms with him, but still **- DAMN HIM**! I should be thankful that she didn't mind sharing a dance with me. Oh well, there was always next year, right?

Who am I kidding?

For all I know, Carissa might fall helplessly for him, and then he will too, and they become a couple, and then she will definitely be off- limits to anyone who wants to ask her to a date for ANY ball.

_Calm down, Potter. You're loosing it.  
_  
I simply smiled and managed in my most hopeful voice, 'It's okay. But you promise you'll save a dance for me?'

'Of course, James. See you later. I've got to go. Bye!'

She waved the delicate hands of hers and left.

I leaned against the wall, and sighed dejectedly. Looks like I'm open. Not knowing who else to ask, I turned to look at the Gryffindor Table, and found Lily reading all by herself. I squinted my eyes to catch a glimpse of the title – Pride & Prejudice.

I smiled. Ahh... It was a very famous Muggle love story written by a witch in disguise. I do pay attention in class, you know, especially Muggle Studies. I might even be able to use a fellytone in the not too distant future!

But, Lily... She looked kind of cute too - reading it I mean - the way her eyebrows creased...  
_  
Oh, put a sock in it, James. She's your friend._

Hmm... I wonder if she wouldn't mind going to the ball with me if she still doesn't have a date. We could go as friends, right? I sighed, and dragged my feet to the Gryffindor table. I really wouldn't be surprised if she already had a date.

I mean, who wouldn't want to ask a pretty lass such as herself to the ball?

* * *

**Thanks to: **SweetSinger, Buffy Anne Summers, AmiAmiNSusu, Lil-Brat888, Interested Reader, Tess, jujubee, MaggieDB, zebragurl, lina shay, Tyyon, LilyEvans and SOOGIE. 


	6. Bittersweet Symphony

_**Summary: **It all started with a simple love letter, for James Potter, from a lovely admirer. Love letters led to friendships; friendships led to confusion; and finally confusion, slowly led to love. With just three meaningful words, it brought joy to young Potter's heart: Love, An Admirer. _

_**Disclaimer: **Anything familiar isn't mine, and unfortunately belongs to the oh-so-brilliant JK Rowling, whom I salute to. Creations of mine are: Piper Valentine, Fiona Caldwell, Jemima Richards, Emily Hart, Dennis Front, Walter Reese, Winston Reese, Marie Lodge, Yvonne West, Gerald Wills, Kurt Randall, Isabelle Frall, the Fairy and the Portrait Holder Society._

_**Author's Note: **This chapter has a number of POV transitions – so look out for the James'/Lily's POV tags! Ta._

**Love, An Admirer**  
**Chapter 6: Bittersweet Symphony**

(_Lily's POV_)

I sighed softly, turning the pages of my tattered copy of "Pride & Prejudice". Quite frankly, I wasn't reading – I was _far_ from it. My eyes were fixated on a paragraph but nothing seemed to be going in. Despite the crush I had on Mr Darcy for a long period, my thoughts couldn't help but return to a particular boy... Stupid Potter. I shouldn't have written that stupid letter... I shook my head in disgust at how foolish I have been, to even think that James would ever take a second look at me. My eyes were watery, and I knew what was to come all too well.

Brushing the tears that were falling, I stood up from my seat and headed rather quickly to the oak doors. I needed to go somewhere - somewhere private. On my way I bumped into someone and I heard a voice shouting my name – and it unfortunately belonged to the _last_ person I had in mind on seeing.

_James Potter._

I pushed him away, and ran as fast as my legs could carry me. I didn't care to stop and look at his adorable face, his warm chocolate eyes that I could drown into... _Faster and faster, I ran_... That mop of hair he has which made him even more adorable... That boyish grin of his that could lit up any room... The twinkling eyes of his that was always full of mischief...

I was going _mental._

I finally reached my destination – Merlin knows where - and burst into tears. I just couldn't hold it in any longer. The tears were streaming down my face and I didn't care that it made me look like a prune. Just this morning, I bumped into Lucius and Severus, two seventh year Slytherins. They were horrible... Oh, so horrible. They pelted such horrible names at me, but who am I to blame? I am the _bookworm Mudblood_ after all.

And then after that, I heard a group of Hufflepuff girls - Chantelle Richards, Josephine Ling, Roberta Manders - talking about someone in the girl's lavatory.

They were known as Hogwarts' very own bi- Hmm... How can I put it in a not so offensive term? Not very nice people who like to talk bad about nearly everyone. And it just so happened that on this very day, when I happen to be there at that very moment, they chose _me _to ridicule...

_'Did you hear? That Evan's girl, she's got the highest in Charms - again. I swear, it's as if she bribes the teachers!'_

_'BRIBE the teachers? Are you joking! If she had any enough money to even bribe teachers, she would have at least bought some decent robes!'_

_'I know what you mean! And those hideous red curls! It doesn't suit her at all! And she has such a flat chest! I mean, come on. It's passable for a thirteen year old, but she's **sixteen** for Merlin's sake! And she's too skinny for her own good...'_

_'I really agree with you, Chantelle! It's as if she doesn't even have enough money to buy food!'_

_'Of course,' someone said snootily. 'What do you think I am? Now, if you want...'_

Lily this. Lily that. Lily's too thin. Lily's too poor. Lily's too flat. They were insulting me as if it was a hobby. Those words really did hurt my feelings. But, it wasn't as if it was the first time I'm hearing this. In fact, it was probably the third or fourth. I was used to their tauntings - but on this specific day, it was unbearable. Today marked the second anniversary of my father's death. Just two years ago, he died in a car crash on the way home from work. He was rushing home to see me, as I fell sick and had chickenpox. I had insisted Professor Dumbledore on letting me go home, and he being the kind man he was, let me.

Father heard of my illness and was rushing home to see me, and that was when a stupid inconsiderate foolish drunk driver crashed into him. Petunia blamed me for his death and gave me an even colder shoulder. I never stopped crying for a week and kept telling my mother that it was my fault. Mother kept insisting it wasn't, and kept soothing me, but I knew it was true.

I began to sob uncontrollably. And to make matters worse, I remembered the whole James-Love-Letter incident... I am _nothing_ compared to Carissa... I was so **stupid** to even think of it. I should have never written it. I should have never even fallen for James Potter...

_(James' POV)_

I was about to reach out to Lily, when suddenly, she stood up and began running out of the hall. She bumped into me at first, and I hollered, 'Lily!' but she didn't stop. Her eyes were watering as she pushed me away and it worried me. I rushed to the Gryffindor Boys' Dormitory to get the Marauders' Map that was lying on Sirius' bed and grabbed my Invisibility Cloak, just in case I ran into Filch or Mrs Norris.

I softly muttered, 'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,' and tapped my wand on the parchment.

Finally, I saw the dot that was labeled 'L. Evans' It was located near the block with many empty classrooms that hasn't been used for a very long time. I put on my Invisibility Cloak, and with a swish, I left the Gryffindor Tower. I rushed to wherever Lily was. As I was nearing the corner, I heard muffled sobs and took off my cloak, and crept slowly, and there I saw her, crouching in the corner, sobbing.

Quietly, I called her name. 'Lily?'

She looked up, and I saw her red tear-stained cheeks. She managed to croak out, 'James!' Instantly, she began wiping her tears dry. 'I - I - It isn't what it looks like! I just -'

I cupped her face with my hands, and said, 'What do you mean it isn't what it looks like? Lily, I can tell from fifty miles away that you've been crying.' I crouched down, to level with her. 'Now tell me, what's the matter, Lily flower?'

She began explaining to me _everything_. Snape and Malfoy... The Bimbo Squad... The death anniversary... And finally, she told me, the final reason - _the bloke_.

(_Lily's POV)_

'...and then to make matters worse, two years ago, on this very day...' I sobbed. 'My - my father... He passed away...' I finished quietly.

I began to lose control all over again. To who, was I telling this all to, you ask? _James Potter_.

He pulled me in for a hug, while murmuring, 'I'm sorry...' and hot tears began trickling down my face.

Just an hour ago, James caught me red-handed crying, and comforted me. Then later, he forced out the information out of me - and I was glad, I guess that he was there to comfort me.

'Now tell me, Lily, is that all that has been bothering you?' He looked at me with those warm chocolate brown eyes of his.

At the back of my mind, my inner voice was bugging me to tell him about my "_bloke_" problem... The other voice was telling me not to tell... Yet, the other one was telling me to tell him, and to just leave the name out of it.

My tears dried up, but I still felt sad.

Hesitating, I finally told him.

'There's ... There's this chap, James...'

James' eyes widened, 'He didn't hurt you, did he?'

'No, no... I... He... Oh, this is stupid, James. It'll sound weird, telling a boy a girl's love life problems...' She blushed.

James smiled warmly at me. 'Lily... You should be thankful Professor Flitwick paired us up. If not, I would have never made friends with someone like you. You know, you've become one of my close friends, even in such short period of time.'

I forced a smile while wincing whenever he mentioned the word "friend".

'So, tell me...'

'I... It's just that... I've had a crush on him since 4th year... And I have always wanted to tell him how I feel... And I did...'

'And he turned you down?'

'Well... He did... Sort of... I mean, I told him, but I didn't tell him directly. I mean, he knows that I like him, but what he doesn't know is that I like him.'

He looked at me quizzically.

I looked directly into his face and continued. 'He knows someone likes him, but what he doesn't know, is that I'm the one who likes him... And I know who he likes, and its definitely, not me...'

Part of me, just a _small _part of me, began hoping for him to realise the tiny hint I was dropping.

'Ohh... Something like me, right?'

I swallowed, and said, 'Well, you _can_ put it that way...'

I guess that James was oblivious as a rock, as he hadn't the faintest idea I was referring to himself. Honestly, James, how can you be so thick?

'I mean I don't blame him or anything... I mean look at me! Chantelle was right... Why would he even consider looking at me? I'm nothing compared to his crush... Sometimes James, I wonder, why do I even try?'

James looked at me like I grew two extra heads and said, 'You actually believe what the Bimbo Squad said?' I couldn't help but stifle a giggle.

Suddenly, James went all serious. 'Silly Lily, what they said was nonsense. Remember that you're beautiful, no matter what they say. Words can't bring you down. You got that?'

I nodded my head.

'Good.' James kissed me on the forehead and my insides nearly melted. 'Now, if I'm not mistaken, it's been nearly an hour since lunch ended. And if I'm not mistaken too, we have probably missed DADA. Well... Thank goodness Professor Heather doesn't really care about our attendance... Come on, then, Lily. We'd better go back to the Common Room, or Sirius will report us missing to Professor McGonagall.'

James slowly helped me up, and walked me back to the Common Room. I followed behind him closely, too surprised to say anything. Has James Potter _really_ been comforting me, or am I hallucinating?

The Portrait of the Fat Lady swung open and just as I was about to head to the Girls' Dormitory, James tugged me softly by the hand and asked, 'Lily, I know this is not exactly the best time to ask you, but if you don't mind, would you accompany me to the ball? Uh I mean, it's okay if you already have a date...'

I smiled warmly at him, for the first time today. I was definitely his second choice, but I was thankful he even considered me. Slowly and steadily, I answered and looked at him straight in the eye.

'Yes, James. I'd love to.'

* * *

_**Author's Note: **The underlined text above is a line from Christina Aguilera's **Beautiful**. It's a lovely song, and I suggest all of you to go download it. :D_

**Thanks to:** axania chic, maryam, jujubee, Katherin Bell, MaggieDB, Lina Shay, Kiely34, Tess, Mia Toretto, Nana, The Infallible Teller and SOOGIE.


	7. Sketching A Mystery

_**Summary: **It all started with a simple love letter, for James Potter, from a lovely admirer. Love letters led to friendships; friendships led to confusion; and finally confusion, slowly led to love. With just three meaningful words, it brought joy to young Potter's heart: Love, An Admirer. _

_**Disclaimer: **Anything familiar isn't mine, and unfortunately belongs to the oh-so-brilliant JK Rowling, whom I salute to. Creations of mine are: Piper Valentine, Fiona Caldwell, Jemima Richards, Emily Hart, Dennis Front, Walter Reese, Winston Reese, Marie Lodge, Yvonne West, Gerald Wills, Kurt Randall, Isabelle Frall, the Fairy and the Portrait Holder Society._

_**Author's Note: **This chapter has a number of POV transitions – so look out for the James'/Lily's POV tags! Ta_

**Love, An Admirer**  
**Chapter 7: Sketching A Mystery**

_(Lily's POV)_

Taking in the breathtaking view of the Great Lake, I carefully sat on the bank of the lake and made myself comfortable. I opened the flap of my bag and took out my sketchbook and began drawing the beautiful scenery of the sunrise. It was my hidden talent – if you may call it that. It was definitely something I never really talked about, and kept all to myself. I sighed dreamily as I shaded the sunrays with my fingertips. I'm usually found here almost every week, ready to catch the sunrise, or to just clear my mind. I set aside my sketchbook and rested my head on the dew-soaked grass. What a beautiful Sunday morning – the perfect day to be out. It was _definitely_ looking much brighter than yesterday.

_Yesterday..._

**(FLASHBACK)**

_James looked at me with those intense eyes of his and said, 'But remember, Lily. You're beautiful, no matter what they say. Words can't bring you down. You got that?'_

_I nodded and James kissed me lightly on the forehead and my insides practically melted.  
_  
**(END OF FLASHBACK)**

Just the sheer flashback sent shivers down my spine, but inside I melted. The mere thought of James Potter cupping my face was enough to keep me smiling for the next few days. Carissa Andrews must be really lucky to be the love of James' life. Someone who's so sweet... _Intelligent_. Funny! _Caring_, considerate, handsome...

And the list goes on.

I can ramble on and on about James, without caring less of what's happening around the world. No guy has ever had the ability to do that to me. Not even my previous so-called crush, Amos Diggory. I laughed at the thought. Sure, I had fancied him. But it was merely a schoolgirl crush. James was truly the only person I had ever liked...

Not knowing what I was doing, my fingers found its way to the pencil and I found myself scribbling 'LE + JP' all over my sketchbook. As soon as I realised what I was doing, I laughed dryly at my foolishness. To think that someday these wonderful letters would be engraved on a tree trunk, in Lovers' Lane Park in a shape of a heart

Quickly, I took out my wand and muttered a spell, and everything disappeared. It was, once more, just a clean sheet of paper.

* * *

_(James' POV) _

_Snore_.

I grabbed the other end of the pillow to cover my ears from the deafening sound.

_Snore. Grunt. Snore_.

It was even louder.

I instantly sprang up, and looked around the dormitory. Of course, who else but Sirius Black had the ability to snore louder and louder with each passing second with the help of a few grunting special effects? Never in my life have I had the desire to just murder my best friend there and then. My ears picked up a rustling sound, and I turned my head to find Dennis Front and Walter Reese propped against the doorframe. They both rubbed their eyes groggily and mumbled, 'We could hear him from our dorm.'

'I know what you mean. I'm surprised Remus and Peter managed to sleep through it,' I muttered.

Walter smiled slowly and said, 'Why don't we just close his mouth?'

Dennis shook his head and said, 'No, the snores will just start coming out from his nose.'  
  
'Why don't we close his mouth, _and_ his nose?' I suggested stupidly.

Dennis looked at me and said, 'I think that's called _murder_.'

I cracked a grin and was about to use the Body-Binding spell on him, but restrained myself, as I thought how useless it would prove to be. I'm the type of person who could never go back to sleep once I had woken up. I muttered goodbyes to them both and lazily dragged my feet to the bathroom, washed my face and brushed my teeth.

I smiled wistfully at the sight of the glorious sunrise. Maybe it'd be a wonderful day to just fly around the Hogwarts Grounds, since there'll be no one to bother me. I glared at the sleeping form of my beloved friend, Padfoot. Changing into robes, I grabbed my Shooting Star 1000 and tucked my wand behind my sleeves.

Carefully, I opened the window in the Boys' Dormitory, and kicked off as quietly as I could and flew around the Hogwarts' Grounds. The soft cool breeze brushed against my face, and I felt fresh. I scanned the grounds to see if there were any other students out this early, and something, or someone caught my eye by the Lake.

I squinted my eyes, and saw a figure with long red hair and twinkling emerald eyes, lying on the grass. Her eyes were so green, that you could have noticed them from a mile away.

I smiled.

Who else, with long red hair and vivid emerald eyes, do I know?

I landed as quietly as I could behind her.

Tiptoeing ever so softly, I yelled '_Boo!_' and blocked her vision with my enormous head. She screamed, and after what seemed like ages, threw her head back in laughter recognizing the menace that was me.

'James! You scared the daylights out of me!' She caught her breath. 'I thought you were some sort of manticore, or beast.'

I simply laughed whole-heartedly and plopped beside her.

She looked at me curiously and said, 'So what are you doing out here, this early on a Sunday morning?'

'I can say the same for you.'

She blushed and said, 'Well, I usually do - to catch the sunrise.' She hugged her legs - she was in a sitting position now. 'Too bad you missed it - it was beautiful.' She gazed at the horizon dreamily.

'Oh, I didn't alright. I got a perfect view form the dorm. One big oaf by the name of Sirius snored so loud that I couldn't help but want to strangle the life out of him. That's why I came. I don't usually fly around this early.'

'Ooh... The last time I ever flown was in First Year. After that horrible incident, I don't think I'd ever have the guts to go back on the broom.' She shivered.

Seconds passed.

In that miniscule frame of time, vivid images from yesterday's events flashed in my mind and my eyes immediately softened, and I looked at her. 'Lily, are you feeling better now?'

She looked at me, and gave me a hopeful smile, 'Yes, I guess. I never really got a chance to thank you, properly. Thanks.'

'No problem, I'm always there for a friend in need.' I flashed my 100-watt smile at her.

I thought I saw her wince, but I brushed it off.

I looked around, when I noticed a book. On the cover, it was written in loopy cursive writing, "Lily Evans". The writing looked awfully familiar... but I brushed it aside. I mean, don't all girls' handwriting look the same?

'Do you mind if I open it?'

She was too mesmerized by the scenery and simply shook her head.

I flipped the cover, and I saw a beautiful drawing of the Quidditch Pitch. Oh wait... it was a sketch! It was even a drawing of a game.

I flipped to the next page, and it was another sketch - but this time, it was of a view of a starlit sky... at night - a view from the Astronomy Tower. I studied at it with eyes filled with admiration. It was _beautiful_. I never knew she could draw like this.

I flipped the pages; it was more sketches of views from Hogwarts. I finally came to her most recent sketch of the sunrise. She captured the beauty really well I almost thought it was a photograph.

I suppose she bewitched it, as the pictures moved. For example; in the sketch of the sunrise, you could see the water ripples on the lake. Also, you could see the players she sketched moving about, passing the Quaffle to each other. And the stars she drew in the sketch of the view from the Astronomy Tower _really _twinkled.

I looked at her and whispered, 'Did you really draw – all of this?'

She looked back at me, 'Huh, oh what?'

'This.' I showed her the sketchbook.

'Oh...' She blushed. She tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear. 'It's nothing,' she said softly.

'Nothing! This is _incredible,_ Lily! You'd make a wonderful artist!'

'It's just a hobby. But, thanks,' she said sheepishly.

I just smiled at her. 'Hey Lily, are we still on for the ball?'

'Oh, of course James. That is, unless someone else already asked you?'

'No, no. Just to make sure.' I gave her a reassuring smile.

I saw Lily looking at her watch and she said, 'Oh, it's already late. I guess we ought to leave.'

I stood up, grabbed my broomstick, and she carried her sketchbook, and we went to the Gryffindor Tower, to return our belongings. We parted, to go up to our dorms. To my utter most surprise, however, those three were still asleep.

I smiled and took out my wand. I muttered a spell, and instantly, the three beds turned over, and they all fell out with a loud **thud**.

Sirius' eyes flew open and shouted, 'WHERE'S THE FIRE!'

Remus and Peter simply rubbed their sleepy eyes and massaged their shoulders.

'What didcha do that for?' Peter said, scratching his head.

Sirius, who finally realized what he said, turned red and scratched his back. He mutterd nervously, 'Yeah, what didcha do that for?'

'I was trying to wake you three up, that's what I've been trying to do!' I yelled.

'Well Prongs, haven't you ever heard of the phrase, "shaking the person so that he'll wake up"?' said the ever wise Remus.

'Hmm...' I was in deep thought, and grinned. 'Nope.'

'Whatever, chap. I'm going to the loo.' The three stooges went to the bathroom, and I just shook my head, heading for the Great Hall.

As I reached the Gryffindor Table, I sat down at my usual seat, and was about to shove a spoonful of porridge into my mouth, when I noticed the goddess.  
_  
Carissa Andrews._

Again, I was in slow-mo mode, and _oh_ how she laughed... _Damn_, she's beautiful!

She caught my eye, and waved her delicate hand.

I waved back, in pure bliss. Not giving two sickles about the fact that a spider had just fallen into my bowl, I continued scooping the porridge and stuffed myself silly, not taking my eyes off her.

* * *

_(Lily's POV)_

Clearly, I had lost my appetite. I played with my porridge, creating whirlpools in the bowl. Scooping up a lump, and dumping it again, I began to disgust myself and shuddered. Pushing the bowl aside, I helped myself to a glass of pumpkin juice. I looked around the Great Hall, feeling very mundane. That was when I noticed Carissa Andrews smiling, and waving at someone. I followed the direction she was looking at, and it was James. He was grinning back at her like a lovesick fool, and it made me feel sick to the stomach.

Carissa was on friendly terms with me, and it's no surprise why James fell for her. She's sweet, kind, pretty, smart - everything a guy wanted in a girl. But as they always say, there are plenty of fish in the sea.  
_  
_Oh sod it! I've tried forgetting James for so many months, and yet, I _still_ think about him. Why, oh _why_, did I have to fall for him, of all people?

_That_, my friends, still remains a mystery to me.

* * *

_**Author's Note: **The underlined text above was borrowed from an old Home Improvement episode._

**Thanks to: **Riposte, The One and Only Amazing Typo, aharrypotter1fan, Nautica7mk, ClairPotter, MaggieDB, Jess the Great, Interested Reader, Amber, thegirlwholived, meeeeeeeee, Isabel, Lina Shay, Rini, blahblah and GuardGirl.


	8. Hogsmeade Weekend and a Little Lovers' Q...

A/N: okay.. since the bold and italic I insert never shows in fanfiction, I have changed the thoughts symbol which is usually * *, is now if there is ever the Third Person's POV. And emphasis on the words will be shown by the * *. Thanks for your time. :)  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Love, An Admirer  
  
Written by missy-a  
  
Chapter 8 : Hogsmeade Weekend and A Little Lovers' Quarrel  
  
  
  
~*~*~Lily's POV~*~*~  
  
Ever since my meeting with James by the lake that morning, we seem to have encounters once in a while. I felt warm whenever he was around, and it scared me.  
  
How far will this go on?  
  
How far *can* this go on?  
  
And what will happen, if I *can't* control it?  
  
I couldn't fool myself any longer - if this, infatuation, or whatever you call it, keeps going on, I'd soon find my self falling in love.  
  
And *that*, my friends, isn't exactly the best thing to happen.  
  
Finally, I thought that maybe I should go out more often. Go to Hogsmeade (sp?) more often. I guess I can start by going to Hogsmeade this weekend, as I still have to shop for a dress to go to the ball.  
  
The Ball.  
  
Why, oh why, dear lord, did I have to accept the invitation to the Christmas Ball, when I knew it would result me, poor helpless Lily Evans, to fall even more for James Potter.  
  
But I can't turn back now. All I have to do is just wait for another few days, go to the ball with him, and pour my eyes out once I see him dancing and escorting Carissa Andrews to the Ravenclaw Tower, leaving me behind. Sure, getting past that is going to be a piece of cake.  
  
I sighed softly.  
  
I walked down the staircase leading to the Gryffindor Common Room aimlessly, not knowing where I was going.  
  
Finally I bumped into someone, which is none other than -  
  
'Oh, hi Lily! How's your Herbology coming along?' said a cheerful melodious voice.  
  
Carissa Andrews.  
  
I didn't have the heart to turn around and scowl at her, had she only been nice to me all these years.  
  
'Hello, Carissa. It's fine, thank you for your help. Sorry for bumping into you.'  
  
'Oh no, no. It's perfectly all right. Say Lily, who are you going to the ball with?'  
  
'Me? James. But we're just going as friends.'  
  
Friends... Could James and I *ever* turn out to be more than "just friends"?  
  
'Oh... James Potter, you mean?'  
  
'Yes,' I chuckled. 'The one and only. How about you?'  
  
She reddened. God knows why. 'I'm going with Kurt Randall. You're very lucky to go to the ball with James, you know.' She winked at me.  
  
'Why do you say that?'  
  
'Well Lily, he and not forgetting the wonderful Marauders', are the most sought after guys in school.'  
  
True, true. But I just rolled my eyes.  
  
'That title's kinda sickening, y'know. You should have seen the amount of girls trying to get into the Gryffindor Common Room, *just* to see James! And to make matters worse, he was enjoying *every* second of it.'  
  
Both of us just smiled.  
  
'Anyway, I've got to go. I'm going to Hogsmeade soon.'  
  
'Yeah, me too. See you in the Three Broomsticks, Lily!'  
  
'Bye, Carissa.'  
  
I sighed as she walked away. Could I ever be as beautiful as Carissa? Could I ever be as sweet as Carissa? Could I ever be as nice as Carissa? Could I ever *be* Carissa?  
  
That was a definite no.  
  
She had guys flocking all around her.  
  
And me? The only "guys flocking around me" are the Marauders and a few other people, and that is *definitely* not called flocking. They're just a couple of guys who are nice enough to befriend a social outcast like myself.  
  
Okay, so I'm not a total social outcast. I just don't really socialize with many people, cause I'm a very quiet person.  
  
And well, I have to thank the Marauders A LOT. They have opened me up a lot - well, mainly James.  
  
As I headed into the Gryffindor Common Room, I caught a glimpse of messy ruffled black hair, that was dampened and wet by sweat.  
  
It must be James coming back from Quidditch Practice.  
  
'Hey, Lily!'  
  
'Hullo, James. Just came back from Quidditch?'  
  
He grinned and said, 'Yeah. You going to Hogsmeade later?'  
  
'Definitely. I have to shop for new robes for the ball. I've saved up lots of money for it.' I tried my best to not make it sound as if I were poor.  
  
'Don't worry, Lily. Let me treat you the robes, for cooperating with me in Charms, and getting an A, without going crazy.'  
  
It was a known fact that James parents were very rich people, with pockets overflowing with galleons.  
  
'No, it's okay. And whoever said I didn't go crazy? Besides, I don't need your charity.'  
  
I thought I saw a flash of hurt on his face, so I quickly rephrased it. 'I don't mean it in that way, James. I mean - it's okay.' I just smiled warmly at him. 'Thanks for the offer anyway. That's very - sweet of you.'  
  
'No, no, I insist!'  
  
'No... I can't. I don't have the heart to.'  
  
James heaved a sigh of frustration and ran his hand through his hair. 'Okay then. But, see you in Three Broomsticks, aight? At *least* let me treat you to butterbeer!'  
  
'Of course, James. See you then.'  
  
  
  
~*~*~Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Hogsmeade~*~*~  
  
~*~*~Third Person's POV~*~*~  
  
'Thank *god* they decided to build a Madam Malkin's outlet in Hogsmeade. Imagine, going *all* the way to Diagon Alley, just to get robes?' said Fiona, while pushing the door open leading to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, and a soft "ting-a-ling" was heard - even with no bell or censor rays (like *that* was invented during their time) in sight.  
  
She went in and was followed by Jemima and Lily.  
  
'It's more convenient, yes. But I would have been as happy as the happiest woman in the Wizarding World if they didn't,' said Jemima.  
  
Fiona turned to look at Jemima, 'Why on earth would you say that? If they didn't, I wouldn't be able to buy robes for the ball! Imagine what Jer would say?'  
  
'Oh, so it's Jer, now is it?' Jemima said, while smirking.  
  
'So what?' Fiona insisted, *trying* to be oblivious to the fact that there was a red tint on her cheeks.  
  
Quiet Lily just watched in amusement as her two best friends bickered.  
  
'Next, it will be Jer-poo, and who knows what's next? *Jer sweetie*!' Jemima said with a shrill voice, battling her eyelashes.  
  
'Oh shut up!' said a very pink Fiona. 'Why are you so pissed about getting robes anyway?'  
  
'Black had to corner me, and he refused to stop following me, unless I agree to accompany him to the Ball.'  
  
'That's a classic!' Lily finally butted in.  
  
'If I hadn't know any better, I'd say Black fancies you!' said Fiona.  
  
But Jemima just rolled her eyes. 'No, Fi dear. He's just doing that to make the best night of my life, a living hell.' She muttered.  
  
Fiona chose to ignore the answer and just continued, 'And, if my name isn't Fiona Isabelle Caldwell, I'd say you fancy Black!'  
  
Again, Jemima just rolled her eyes, even though her cheeks were slight pinkish, but luckily, no one noticed. Or so she thought.  
  
'Anyway, come on then Lily! We *have* to choose elegant robes for your ickie Jamesie-poo!'  
  
'Come on, Fi! We're just going as friends...' Lily said gloomily.  
  
'Friends, or no friends - who cares? Come on then - we have to get something that will make you look simple - yet unique!'  
  
'Here we go - Lord of the Fashion, Miss Fiona Caldwell herself,' Jemima muttered.  
  
After twenty robe try-on's, three screams and a fight later, Fiona got a beautiful genuine mood robe which changed colours to match her mood; Jemima got a simple navy blue robe that matched her clear icy blue eyes and dirty blond hair, but it changes tones once in a while; and Lily? Well, she set her eyes on this robe that was on display.  
  
It was a beautiful elegant jade green robe, that matched her vivid jade eyes that sparkled whenever she was excited. The end of its sleeves was triangular (a/n: think of mcgonagall's sleeve that can be seen at harry potter 1 movie, before the sorting, you can see her hand first, then it slowly zooms up to her face.) and it fitted her perfectly, it wasn't too tight, yet it wasn't too baggy. Well, in other words, it was just perfect.  
  
And the only problem was - all robes on display aren't on sale, and cost a bomb. The others looked horrible on her, none of them matched or suited her at all, and well, she just decided to buy one next week - so that she can make up her mind on which to buy.  
  
'Um... You go on first, Jem, Fi. I - I'll join you two later at the Three Broomsticks'.' said Lily, still admiring the green robes.  
  
'Alright then, Lily.' said Fiona.  
  
Fiona and Jemima just whispered amongst themselves and then finally turned to talk to Lily, 'Lils, we don't mind buying the robes for you, you know. That's what friends are for!'  
  
'No, no, it's okay. I - I'll just settle for one next week. I won't buy any this week. You go on to the Three Broomsticks'.  
  
Both of them sighed, just waved and left.  
  
Lily, whom still couldn't take her eyes off the display, just asked the sales assistant if she could try it again.  
  
The young woman just smiled and nodded.  
  
Lily tried it on again and admired herself at the long mirror outside, not knowing a certain someone was watching her. (a/n: no, it isn't the same guy/gurl (hehehe) who was looking at her at the classroom, she's not being stalked! This is someone else.)  
  
She just looked at the price tag again, sighed, and just changed back.  
  
She thanked the sales assistant again, and left.  
  
Lily met up with Jemima and Fiona, and it turned out that they shared a table with the Marauders'.  
  
She nearly laughed as she saw Jemima's frown.  
  
But...  
  
One... Two... Three... There's only three of them! I wonder where's James... was what Lily thought.  
  
And to answer Lily, James finally arrived - and it seemed as if he was panting.  
  
And to Lily's curiosity, James was carrying a parcel with him...  
  
'*pant* Sorry guys! *pant* I was caught up - *pant* looking at the new *pant* broom they just *pant* brought in!'  
  
And suddenly, as if on cue, all four of the Marauders - including Dennis Front and Walter Reese - struck up a heated conversation, not excluding any details about the new broomstick on sale - the Thunderbolt 1000.  
  
(a/n: lame name, I know.. *sigh* who ever said creating broomstick's names were easy and that I was creative?)  
  
All three of the girls - Lily, Jemima and Fiona - just muttered, 'Boys.'  
  
As they finished their conversation about none other than *just* brooms, as put by Jemima - "I beg to differ!" shouted Sirius - James ordered butterbeers for everyone.  
  
'It's on me!' James clearly stated, when Remus was offering to pay.  
  
They were all talking about the ball.  
  
'So Remus,' Lily asked. 'Who are you going with?'  
  
'Me?' Remus turned pink. 'I - well - '  
  
'Aww... Don't tell me Remmie-boy, - one of the Marauders' might I add - is too *afraid* to admit he's going stag?' said Sirius.  
  
'I -' Remus tried to say.  
  
'Well at least he, didn't have to *force* someone to go to the ball with him, like someone *I* know,' Jemima lazily added, while smirking.  
  
'I, well -' said poor Remus.  
  
Sirius' cheek went red, but quickly said, 'Well, that *person* didn't have to say yes to the person who asked her to the ball. That *person* could have just slapped the other *person*, and could have gotten away!'  
  
While a soon to be quarrel was going on, a confused Peter whispered to James, 'Prongs, I'm getting confused with all these persons they're saying. Which is which?'  
  
James looked at his dear, dear, friend, and just shook his head. 'Nevermind that, Wormtail.'  
  
And poor Remus, who was trying to say something, again, failed.  
  
Finally, as Jemima's and Sirius' voices were crescendo, Remus finally shouted, 'ALRIGHT YOU TWO! IF YOU WANT TO KNOW, I'M GAY AND HAVE BEEN THAT WAY EVER SINCE I MET YOU THREE!'  
  
Suddenly, all eight of them - including the whole bar - turned to look at Remus, who was breathing in and out, slowly.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
(a/n: MWAHAHAHHAHAHAh! I was laughing my a$$ off as I typed Remus' outburst..!! I still am, though..! *subsides laughter* Phew! Anyway, no, I wouldn't leave Remus swinging *that* way. And yes, I AM going to retype it. Heheheh...! This is so much fun!)  
  
While a soon to be quarrel was going on, a confused Peter whispered to James, 'Prongs, I'm getting confused with all these persons they're saying. Which is which?'  
  
James looked at his dear, dear, friend, and just shook his head. 'Nevermind that, Wormtail.'  
  
And poor Remus, who was trying to say something, failed.  
  
Finally, as Jemima's and Sirius' voices were getting crescendo, Remus finally shouted, 'STOP!'  
  
Jemima and Sirius turned to look at Remus, who was trying to get their attention.  
  
'If you want to know, I'm going with Piper Valentine,' Remus said softly.  
  
At once, Sirius, James, Peter, Dennis and Walters jaws dropped.  
  
Even Lily, Jemima and Fiona were shocked.  
  
'You, are going with the 7th Year Piper Valentine? *The* Piper Valentine?' asked Dennis.  
  
'Yes, I am.'  
  
'Well done, ol' chap!'  
  
Sirius, James, Peter, Dennis and Walter shook hands with Remus, with some say 'Congrats,' or 'Well done!' or even 'I never knew you had it in you, Moony!' and even, 'My, my, Remmy! I never knew you were going after older women now!'  
  
Remus glared at him.  
  
'How did you do it?' Peter enquired.  
  
'I didn't do anything...' Remus sighed. He ran a hand through his hair. 'I just bumped into her one day and helped her to get up. Then, she just popped the question.'  
  
'So what? She's just another girl,' puffed Emily Hart, a nice Ravenclaw girl who sat with Lily in Potions, who was also friendly with the Marauders (and who seemed to fancy Remus.)  
  
(a/n: okay, so I decided to create a new character for fun.. don't sue me for doing so!!)  
  
'I beg your pardon? Did you just say, she's *just* a girl? She's not *just* a girl, she's Piper Valentine! *The* Piper Valentine! The most popular girl in school, *and* most sought after girl! *And*, she's a seventh year! Sevvies hardly date us sixers! Well they do at times... Well, quite often... But that's not the point! The point is, Moony here is going to the ball with *the* Piper Valentine!' explained the rather red Peter from saying everything in one breath.  
  
'Hi there. I couldn't help but overhear, and realised that you all are conversing about me?' said a rather sickly sweet voice - Piper Valentine herself, suddenly appearing behind them.  
  
'Hello Remus... James, Sirius, Peter. Umm... And 6 other sixth years... What *were* you talking about?' Piper asked, battling her perfectly curled eyelashes, and twirling a few strands of strawberry blonde hair.  
  
'N-N-Nothing, P-Piper...' stuttered Peter.  
  
'Very well then... I guess I'd better be on my way.' With her tone suddenly softening, 'See you later, Remus...'  
  
As soon as she was out of earshot, Emily muttered, while battling her eyelashes, 'See you later, Remus... It's sick, I tell you!'  
  
Jemima, Lily and Fiona looked at her with the "It's-so-obvious" look and Emily quickly kept quiet.  
  
Thank god none of them noticed.  
  
'Did you say something, Em?' asked Remus.  
  
'Uh... No.' She just smiled.  
  
Everyone just conversed like normal, and waited till it was curfew, and returned to Hogwarts.  
  
___________________________________________________________________________  
  
Author's Note: Hi y'all! Sorry for the long wait! Since skool juz started and all. and I had this REALLY nasty writer's block.. *CURSE BLOCK CURSE BLOCK* anyway.. sorry if this chapter isn't as good as the others. Tried my best to please y'all!  
  
But I did haf fun writing this one.. :P  
  
Anyways.. gimme ya feedback, won't you?  
  
And a happy belated new year, happy belated Eid to all Muslims, and I'd like to wish all of u happy Chinese new year..  
  
But b4 I leave, I'd like to thank these WONDERFUL ppl for takin the time to review!  
  
Scarlett*eyes, Lucia Dreams, Jess the Great, mmsaidpotterluva, The-Girl-Who- Lived, Lamina Court, mel, V. Aries, MaggieDB, Prankster Queen, Starrgazer, The One and Only Amazing Typo, Amber, demented weesil, JadOo, jtyw, The Marauder's Map, Lunamooncat, Aimee, completelyInsane aaand Lucky-719.  
  
  
  
-m|rAh  
  
  
  
ps: sorry if I didn't include ur name! N if I didn't, thank u for reviewing!! 


	9. Surprises Galore

Summary: Lily Evans, 16, has been head over heels for the James Potter since god-knows-when. She decides to confess her "love" thru an anonymous love letter. Just as she was about to give it to him, she finds out he's just a royal prick. She drops it on her way to burn it (LoL). But what she doesn't know is that he found it, accidentally... What will this result? Will she regret it, or will she thank the good Lord?  
  
Disclaimer: The characters are mine, you hear me, MINE! ["Yeah Right!" shouts from the audience] *mutters* Dammit. Oh well, I tried! Okay, fine, it's not mine... Satisfied? Sheesh... They belong to J.K. Rowling, aight? Except Piper Valentine, Fiona, Jemima, Emily Hart, Dennis Front, Walter Reese and Isabelle Frall.  
  
Oh well, even though these type of stories have been done before, I thought of it myself. And I'm so proud of myself! *wipes an invisible tear*  
Love, An Admirer  
  
Chapter 9: Surprises Galore  
  
Written by: lil-miss-myra  
  
~*~*~Lily's POV~*~*~  
  
The ride home was, well, humorous. For one, Sirius and Jemima were still bickering about the so-called person who forced another so-called person to the ball.  
  
Two, James was trying his best to persuade Remus that Ireland was going to win the Quidditch World Cup that was soon to come.  
  
[Flashback]  
  
'Ireland is so going to win this year! It's practically written on the calendar that this is Ireland's year of glory!'  
  
Remus, with a calm straight face answered, 'Nothing you do will convince me that Germany won't win this time around.'  
  
'Oh, come on! Germany has won three times in a row! I assure you Irealand will win this time!  
  
'I'm a Germany supporter all the way, Prongs.'  
  
'IRELAND, god dammit! Say Ireland for once! I've already had enough with the Germany's chaser in your poster smirking at my Ireland team all the time!' James practically half-shouted.  
  
[End of Flashback]  
  
Three, Emily was trying so hard to not blush when Remus was sitting next to her.  
  
Ahh... *Sighs* What would I do without my fellow Hogwarts friends? What would have happened to me if I wasn't a witch?  
  
I'd be a lost cause, that was what I would've been. I was thinking about this all the way, but couldn't help but smile at the thought of going to the ball with James.  
  
'What are you smiling at, Lily?' asked a faint Remus.  
  
'N-nothing, Remus.'  
  
Remus just smiled. 'Hey, Lils, fancy a game of chess?' He just winked at her. 'No one in the whole of Gryffindor has ever beaten me. Sirius lost poorly to me last night - ' 'I RESENT THAT!' 'So, think you can handle it?'  
  
I smiled mischievously at Remus, 'You'll be sorry you ever asked, Remmy.'  
  
~*~*~James' POV~*~*~  
  
I chuckled, and thanked Remus silently, as he offered Lily to a round of chess.  
  
~*~*~Not So Long Ago~*~*~  
  
James gazed into the misty windows of "Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions" and saw a certain red-head admiring jade robes that was elegant on display. He saw her sigh, then speaking to the clerk. She smiled, and left, empty-handed.  
  
James smiled and he went into the shop.  
  
"Ting-a-Ling"  
  
'Welcome to the Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions outlet in Hogsmeade. Madam Malkin isn't available at the moment, how can I help - Oh, HI James! It's been a long time since I've seen you here, how's Geraldine? Is she doing alright?'  
  
'Surprised to see you here today, Marie,' James said while smirking. Marie whacked him. 'OW! Your whacks are still painful as ever,' muttered James. 'Anyway, how have you been?'  
  
'Fine... Just decided to work here for the money. I tell you, the fashion these days! Their getting more and more expensive by the day! You should see what the muggles are wearing now! And the names! Glares, tie-rye shirts, vell-bottoms?'  
  
James chucked inwardly. Trust Marie to pronounce muggle words correctly. She should have taken up Muggle Studies when she could.  
  
'How is it going in SWA?' [Salem Witchcraft Academy]  
  
'Oh, it's fine, I guess... Sure miss the good ol' days in Hogwarts! When Dine and I used to sneak in the kitchens...' Marie wiped an invisible tear. 'How is she doing?'  
  
'She's going great. She's even serious in her social life now. But I don't know what's such a big deal about dating Grego-'  
  
'Ohmigod, don't tell me... It's Greg Summres?'  
  
James looked at Marie quizzically. *Not you too!* 'What's so great about him?'  
  
'EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK! Dine's dating Summers! Dine's dating Summers!'  
  
'Excuse me!' An old stern woman came out from a curtain, behind the counter who reminded James of an older version of Professor McGonagall. 'I hired you to promote my daughter's business, Miss Lodge. Not to shriek suddenly and tell the whole world someone's social status. I'm so sorry, dear. She's not usually like this.'  
  
'It's okay, ma'am,' James said, trying to stifle a laugh.  
  
'One more time, Miss Lodge!' Mrs Malkin said, waving a finger at Marie.  
  
Marie turned beet red and said, 'Yes, madam.'  
  
Mrs Malkin went back behind the curtain and Marie muttered, 'I swear, it's as if there's something shoved up her -'  
  
'My, my, Marie! And you're getting paid to do this?' smirked James.  
  
'Oh, shut up! So anyway, I'm going to kill Geraldine for not telling me. I just can't believe she's dating THE Gregory Summers!'  
  
'What's so great bout this guy, anyway?'  
  
'He was like, the hottest guy in Hogwarts at that time! I wonder if he still is...' Marie sighed dreamily.  
  
'Oh, come off it! Anyway, the reason I came here is to buy those jade green robes on display,' James said, pointing to them.  
  
'Oooh! For who? Aww... My ickie Jamesie has finally grown up! Now tell me, who is the lucky girl?'  
  
James blushed. 'She's not my girlfriend, Marie! She's just a friend.'  
  
'Riiiiight... But I don't think you should,' Marie said, biting her lip.  
  
'Why not?'  
  
'There was this pretty young girl with beautiful red hair that came in who was admiring them. She had beautiful features. I was dying to give her a discount, because it costs a bomb! But, Mrs God-Forsaken Malkins would probably fire me on the spot... It would have been a pity if she doesn't wear them... What ball is it, by the way? Didn't the Halloween Ball end a long time ago?'  
  
'Oh... This year's different! We had a Halloween Feast instead of a Halloween Ball and having a Christmas Ball to replace it.'  
  
'Cool... So, are you sure this isn't for your girlfriend?'  
  
'Yeah, I'm sure! Oh, and by the way, the redhead you were talking about, that's whom I'm buying this for...'  
  
Marie's eyes widened. 'You silly old fool! Why didn't you tell me earlier? Good choice, James. I'm proud of you! So, being around two beautiful glamorous ladies, does pay off, doesn't it?' She said, winking.  
  
'Oh, of course. My mother and my grandma are beautiful.'  
  
Again, Marie whacked him, and laughed. 'Anyway, that's really sweet of you, James. *sigh* If only there were only guys like you around, James.'  
  
'Dream on.'  
  
Marie stuck out a tongue at James. 'Anyway, how would you like it? Wrapped in a parcel?'  
  
~*~*~Present~*~*~  
  
James rushed to the Boys' Dormitory and grabbed his invisibility cloak, which his dad had gotten from a trade with a very close friend. He wrapped it around his body, and clutched the parcel under his arm.  
  
He slowly crept up to the Girls' Dormitory, and thank God that Jemima, Emily, Fiona and Isabelle weren't there at the moment. He left the parcel on her bed, and slowly crept back to the Boys' Dorm, and folded his invisibility cloak neatly into his trunk.  
  
Soon enough, the game between Remus and Lily ended as a draw, with a triumphant smile plastered on her face.  
  
Lily yawned, and muffled, 'Good game, Remus. But I swear *yawn* that I will *yawn* beat you tomorrow... *Yawn* It's been a wonderful trip to Hogsmeade. And you and James -' Lily's eyes widened. 'Where is James, anyway?'  
  
Remus yawned along. 'He's probably snoozing in the dorm, or at the quidditch field. He's a humungous quidditch fan, Lils. But, isn't it too early? You haven't even had your dinner!'  
  
'Not too hungry. See you tomorrow, Remus.'  
  
'Nights, Lil.'  
  
Lily went up to the Girls Dorm, thinking about the robes she saw earlier on.  
  
'If only I had that much money,' Lily muttered.  
  
She sighed once more, and was wondering where the rest of the girls were. *Probably teasing Fi about Jeremy.*  
  
Lily chuckled, she changed into her night gown, brushed her teeth, and then hair, and was about to sleep in, when she felt something bumpy.  
  
*What on earth is that?*  
  
She lifter her comforter, and saw a parcel. Lily, getting all excited (as she has never received an anonymous parcel before) opened it carefully.  
  
She gasped, and nearly dropped it when she untied the parcel.  
  
It was none other than those elegant beautiful jade green robes she saw on display earlier that day.  
  
Fiona and Jemima were real sweethearts to buy them, no matter how much she refused to let them pay for her.  
  
She blinked back tears, and went back to sleep thinking, *What wonderful friends I have...*  
  
And how wrong she was, for it wasn't from them.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~  
  
Author's Note: Gosh! All you people are soo sweet! And I'm so sorry for not updating for such a looong time. You all better be thankful that I wrote this story on my birthday (5th March, hehehe :P) for all you story-hungry readers! I felt so bad for not updating for such a long time.  
  
This is my most favourite story I've written, though it has slight grammatical errors and other mistakes here and there. I try my best to make it least as possible.  
  
The next update will probably be around early April, as my monthly test is coming soon. To those of you, who are going to undergo that as well, a very good luck to you!  
  
And, now the thank you notes to my WONDERFUL reviewers. Where would I be without you people? This story would have probably went down the drain if it weren't for your encouraging reviews! ^_^ (sorry if I sound so.. weird.. LoL.. I'm also in the middle of writing an essay for English, and yah.. the flow of words and lingo has somehow transferred here.. :P)  
  
mogliecat, the_girl_who_lived, Poli, Jess the Great, Fionnuala, Kitty Prydew, bebe-chrissy, Lucky_719, Sugarquill, moonlit angel, bertiebottsgeorge, Sammi, jtyw, Lamina Court, Samantha, Sk8er_Writer, Evenstar, alexz, Riana-Rin, Red Magic Marker, The One and Only Amazing Typo aaaaand Amber!  
  
P/S: and if I didn't mention your name, THANK YOU!  
  
Oh, and since I don't have that much time to check my own chapters, would anyone like to become my beta-reader? I doubt any of you would want to, but what the heck, it doesn't hurt to ask.  
  
If you would like to, you can email me at  
  
valentines_sucks@hotmail.com, simply_mirah@yahoo.com or lil_miss_myra@prettierthanher.com  
  
LoL.. Can't help but have so many emails! :P  
  
Live life to its fullest!  
  
-m|rAh  
  
The Chapter You Can Look Forward To: Chapter 10 - The Christmas Ball 


	10. The First Official Hogwarts Christmas Ba...

Summary: Lily Evans, 16, has been head over heels for the James Potter since god-knows-when. She decides to confess her "love" thru an anonymous love letter. Just as she was about to give it to him, she finds out he's just a royal prick. She drops it on her way to burn it (LoL). But what she doesn't know is that he found it, accidentally... What will this result? Will she regret it, or will she thank the good Lord?  
  
Disclaimer: Anything familiar isn't mine, and unfortunately belongs to the oh-so-brilliant JK Rowling, who I salute to. Creations of mine are : Piper Valentine, Fiona, Jemima, Emily Hart, Dennis Front, Walter Reese, Marie Lodge and Isabelle Frall. Oh, and the LURVLY song "Just Another" by Pete Yorn isn't mine either. BOOHOO!  
  
Steal. You. Die.  
  
Author's Note: This is the chapter we've ALL been waiting for. Isn't it, isn't it? ("YES!" shouts from the audience) Drumroll, please? *drumroll* And now, I, LIL-MISS-MYRA, proudly present the 10th Chapter of Love, An Admirer - The First Official Hogwarts Christmas Ball to all the wonderful FanFiction.Net readers.  
Love, An Admirer  
  
Chapter 10 : The First Official Hogwarts Christmas Ball  
  
Written by: lil-miss-myra  
  
'Lily!' someone hissed. 'Lily!'  
  
'Oh, sod off, Nan! This is the best part! I'm about to beat Natasha Welle in the pony race!  
  
Jemima looked at Fiona, and smirked. Fiona mouthed, 'Ponies?'  
  
'James waiting outside of the girl's dorm to take you out to Hogsmeade!' Jemima whispered.  
  
Lily immediately sat up and her eyes widened. Jemima and Fiona burst into a fit of giggles. Lily's eyes looked softly at Jemima, 'That's not funny, Jem. That's the *second* time you did that. Sometimes I actually wish he would do that...' Lily sighed.  
  
Jemima immediately felt guilty and said, 'I-I'm sorry, Lils.'  
  
Lily just smiled. 'It's okay! I mean, it's no use, right? I'll move on, one day. I will.' Jemima and Fiona hugged Lily and sat on her bed.  
  
'So anyway, thank you so much for the robes! I mean, you shouldn't have done that. It's so sweet of you!' Lily said, cheerfully.  
  
Fiona and Jemima looked at each other weirdly and said, 'What robes?'  
  
Lily then said slowly, 'You know... Those robes I fell in love with at Madam Malkin's? The one that I couldn't, um, I mean didn't want to buy.' Her face fell. No matter how much she loved her parents, and sister (although the feeling wasn't mutual), and that she felt guilty that going to Hogwarts is using up quite an abundance of money, she felt quite embarrassed of not having enough money.  
  
'We didn't buy you any robes, Lily. I mean, we would have, but you wouldn't let. And you were practically at the shop the *whole* day,' said Fiona. Then, a grin broke out on her face. 'Looks like *Lily* has an admirer now. Wait, till I tell James!' Fiona squealed.  
  
Jemima just smiled. 'Happy now, Lils? I swear, if James doesn't fall for you at the ball, I don't know what planet he was born in. You're gonna look splendid in that!'  
  
Lily smiled at Jemima.  
  
'Now, come on! Get ready, and let's go downstairs and have breakfast!' said Jemima.  
  
'Ooh, and don't forget; we're going to go and find out who sent it!' And again, Fiona squealed.  
  
Jemima just rolled her eyes and said, 'Riiiiiight. That will be under *your* department, Fi. Now, come on, Lils! You don't want to waste a wonderful morning such as this!' said Jemima, drawing the curtains that resulted horrifying cries.  
  
'Sod off, Jem!' said Isabelle, throwing a pillow at her.  
  
Jemima's head whipped around and narrowed her eyes at Isabelle. 'You better watch -' POOF! A pillow from Yvonne West came whizzing by and hit Jemima right smack in the butt.  
  
And soon, everyone joined in and a pillow fight commenced. Passer-by's would think it was a war among the chickens.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Days came and went, and lo and behold it was here: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry's first official Christmas Ball that would be launched by the Head's respectively and of course Professor Dumbledore.  
  
The atmosphere in Hogwarts was tense. It was TOO tense, that the students weren't given any homework. The teachers were stressed out too. And who to thank? The wonderful Marauders themselves. They took the advantage of not being given homework to continue their endless dose of pranks. Hallways stunk at the result of the dungbombs they bought; the Slytherins were living in hell; and the endless mob of Hufflepuff girls' chasing them wherever they went.  
  
But let's move a little faster and get to know the gory details, shall we?  
  
~*~*~One Hour Before the Christmas Ball~*~*~  
  
'Maybe I shouldn't go after all, Fi,' Lily said while Fiona was applying lipstick on herself.  
  
Fiona's lipstick suddenly danced over her cheek. She wiped it off and turned to face Lily, 'Oh, come on, Lils! This is your big chance. Your chance to show James Potter who you really are; who the real Lily Evans is. Now come on! We only have one more hour left till we meet the boys at the common room! And you're not even dressed!' Fiona gasped.  
  
Jemima rolled her eyes. 'A dramatic one, Fi is. Now come on, Lilliums! We don't want to keep James waiting, now do we? Get dressed!'  
  
Lily bit her lip and said, 'Okay, then. But I still want to find out who that person is. Maybe that person will come up to me and tell? I just hope it's not a Slytherin. God know's what he meant by sending me the dress. Well, I'll go and get my robes.'  
  
Lily disappeared to the wardrobe and came back with a lovely jade robe on. It matched her vivid emerald eyes, and there were lovely little sequins.  
  
'Lovely, just lovely! Now come on, I'm going to put some make up on you, and then do something with your hair. I know! You look wonderful with your hair down, I'll just put up some beautiful pins Heather gave me last Christmas!'  
  
The way she talked to me was as if I was her science project, and that frightened me. Half an hour later, I came out and dared to face the world, I felt weird with make-up on. The last time I did that, was when I was forced to by my mum. I winced as I was about to look in the mirror. And when I did, it surprised me.  
  
'Is that *me*?' I gasped.  
  
'Surprise, surprise. You really do wonders, Fiona. You really do,' said Jemima, smiling and looking at Lily.  
  
'Come on then, Jem! Lil! We don't want to keep the boy's waiting, now do we?' Fiona chirped. She pulled Lily and Jemima out of the dormitory to the common room.  
  
Jemima however muttered, 'I wish *I* could keep my date waiting.'  
  
There they were, Sirius and James.  
  
Fiona cleared her throat. Sirius and James, startled, turned around and were surprised, shocked - you name it.  
  
Fiona just smiled. 'I guess my hard work did pay off. Well, I'll see you at the Great Hall, guys. Jeremy's waiting for me outside. Toodles!'  
  
James couldn't believe his eyes. Is this really Lily Evans? The girl I befriended just months ago? I always thought she was beautiful on the inside and outside, but not THIS beautiful. And to think that she was about to become one of my prank targets...  
  
James shook that thought of his head, and greeted Lily. She was dressed with the jade green robes that brought out her eye's sparkles. She let down her hair, and pinned up her fringe with a lily flower clip.  
  
'Good evening, Lily,' James took her hand and kissed it. Lily tried to stifle a laugh, but burst out giggling.  
  
'James,' she whispered. 'Do you know how cliché this sounds?'  
  
James smiled and said, 'That's the whole point, Lily ma dear. Come on then, and might I say, you look beautiful tonight, Lily. Oh, and I got you this.' James handed Lily a red rose. 'You know, since you *are* my date and all,' He shuffled his feet. 'I thought that maybe it would be traditional to give you one. I wanted to give you a lily,' He scratched his head. 'But it would be even more cliché, wouldn't it?' He smiled.  
  
'Thanks, James. That's really sweet,' She smiled, then gave a hurt look. 'But are you trying to say I was ugly all these while?'  
  
James eyes widened and quickly said, 'No! I mean, I don't mean it that way...'  
  
Lily gave him a warm smile, 'I was just joking, Jamesie. You don't look so bad yourself.' Lily grinned. 'Now come on, we don't want to keep Carissa waiting!' She winked, despite the loneliness she felt inside.  
  
James sort-of blushed and nodded. 'Come on, then!'  
  
Sirius however. was about to kiss Jemima's hand but she snatched it back and said, 'Dream on, Black!' and she smacked him on the head.  
  
Sirius just smiled goofily and said, 'We have to act civil, pumpkin- poo.'  
  
'I still have that freezing charm in my head, Black. Don't. Taunt. Me.'  
  
Sirius quickly rephrased his sentence, 'I mean, Jemima. If we keep going on like this, I'll probably end up dead tonight! Can we at least make a truce?'  
  
Jemima narrowed her eyes at him.  
  
'Pweety pweety pwease! You wook weally pweety, Mish Jemima! Ish jush me, Shiwius Bwack,' Sirius said.  
  
Jemima burst out laughing. 'Alright then, Black,' After seeing Sirius' hurt look, 'Fine then, SIRIUS. But if you make any smart move on me, without my permission, you'll regret you ever asked Jemima Rachelle Richards to the Christmas Ball.'  
  
Sirius nodded and just grinned.  
  
Jemima and Sirius walked out of the Gryffindor Common Room, and just as they stepped out of the Portrait of the Fat Lady, Sirius whispered softly right at Jemima's ear, 'By the way, you do look pretty. Dare I say even beautiful, Miss Jemima?'  
  
The normal Jemima would have smacked him there and then, but *this* Jemima just blushed and said quietly, 'Thank you.'  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~  
  
As they stepped into the Great Hall, awe was all they felt. It was decorated beautifully with Christmas trees, hollies, and more. There were mistletoe's that would go all around the Great Hall. Sometimes it'll act cheekily, and find couples and wouldn't leave them till they kiss. Professor Flitwick however charmed the Great Hall so that snowflakes would fall, and it was a pretty sight.  
  
The Decoration Committee too had outdone themselves, as the seventh years had managed to charm the snowmen to move around the hall without the help of Professor Flitwick. Not only that, but all the furniture that were made of ice, and the snow was charmed so that it wouldn't melt. The chandelier however was a beautiful sight as it was frosted and as the light when through the crystals, it did a wonderful effect.  
  
The sigh was breathtaking, and it really did take Lily's breath away. She was marveled at the sight as she took the tour of the now-Dining Hall. As Lily stepped in, Fiona *did* do her job well, as she sure did make heads turn. Both boys and girls eyed her, wowed by the fact that it was plain Lily Evans, looking as beautiful as ever, came to the ball with James Potter.  
  
James led Lily to the table and met up with the rest of the Marauders & Co. They started chatting away, having the time of their life. But Lily gulped and felt her world nearly crashing down as she saw Carissa Andrews and Kurt Randall strolling in. Lily swore she saw James eyes' bulging out of the sockets.  
  
Carissa, who was beautiful naturally, looked even *more* exquisite with her beautiful creamish robe. She had a beautiful tiara on her delicate head, and her hair was put up into a bun, with wisps of curled hair coming down on the sides of her head.  
  
Carissa settled down with Kurt two tables away and waved at James, and then at Lily. Lily smiled and waved back. She was about to tell Jemima something, but Professor Dumbledore interrupted her.  
  
He pointed his wand to his throat and muttered 'Sonorus,' and said, 'Welcome all, to the first Christmas Ball in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry!'  
  
Everybody clapped and cheered so hard, that you could feel the ground vibrating.  
  
'To start the opening of our very first Christmas Ball, I would like the Head Girl & Boy to please stand up, to take a bow for contributing such a wonderful idea. Secondly, the Decoration Committee, the wonderful prefects and staff, for their outstanding job for this ball.'  
  
Once again, the applause erupted.  
  
'And not forgetting the ever hardworking house-elves who have made tonight's menu a splendid one. Cheers, and have a wonderful Christmas!'  
  
With a swish of Dumbledore's hand, food magically appeared on their plates, and everyone began talking excitedly, while satisfying the bottomless pits we call stomach.  
  
Professor Dumbledore immediately tucked in, and was enjoying his meal. Suddenly, as if he had forgotten something, he stood up, clanked his goblet and continued with specks of food flying in every direction, 'Sorry Minerva. Oh, and before I forget, since it's our first Christmas Ball, we decided to make it special by inviting a wonderful newcomer to the music scene to perform. Everybody, give a round of applause for - Allison de Traum!'  
  
A pretty, but weird-looking nonetheless, witche who looked like around herr twenties', came up on stage and struck up a tune.  
  
Lily easily forgotten what she wanted to tell Jemima, and enjoyed the night - while it lasted with the melodious tune in the background.  
  
Soon enough, students finished their meals, and the dance floor was getting crowded. Miss De Traum was a big hit among the students, and teachers. Her tunes were wonderful, as she sang all sorts of music genres. Rock, pop, jazz, you name it.  
  
Quite a line of boys came to ask Lily to dance, and James smiled at her, and urged her to go. She just smiled back, and agreed to every single one of them. Lily had a chance to dance with all the Marauders who were very talented dancers themselves. Ah, the Marauders! Shame, how could we have forgotten all about them?  
  
Let's have a quick preview, shall we?  
  
Remus Lupin: Looking handsome as ever. Came with Piper Valentine (who seems to be falling head-over-heels for him). Received numerous glares from Emily Hart.  
  
Sirius Black: The one with the sexy grin. Charming, as usual. Came with Jemima Richards, who seemed to be hitting him lesser than usual. Guesses, anyone? *wink wink*  
  
Peter Pettigrew: Ah, although slightly pudgy, he's still a popular one among girls, although he has been overshadowed by the other Marauders. Who he came with? A pretty petite girl from Ravenclaw.  
  
Lily danced a waltz with Remus, (a/n: sigh.. he's close to my heart. Next to james, that is. :D) a foxtrot with Peter, and oh dear Lord. Fortune wasn't on her side that fateful day, as when Sirius asked her to dance, Allison de Traum struck up a hip and fast tune. It's a miracle how she survived after the number of times Sirius stepped on her foot.  
  
But surprise surprise, not even once did James come up to her to ask her for a dance. Not his problem though, as wherever he went, he was surrounded by a swarm of girls. He had managed to dance with Carissa though.  
  
Did Lily notice this? Oh, of course she did! Her feelings? Don't even go there. A useless date, you say? He did make it clear that they were going to the ball as friends.  
  
But I must say, you should see the number of girls lining up to dance with him! And James, being the sweet considerate gentleman he is, agreed to dance with every single one of them.  
  
Now, lets go back a little bit, shall we, to the part where I stopped.  
  
There Lily was, dancing in the arms of Gerald Wills. He was a fellow seventh year Gryffindor, mind you. Handsome? Definitely. Sweet? Yes. He was cracking a joke to Lily while dancing, when a pair caught Lily's eye. There they were, James and Carissa, dancing and laughing. God, they look so perfect! So... right. Lily thought. Why can't I just move on? Why? WHY? Take Gerald for instance. He's funny, wonderful, smart, cute. Why not HIM?  
  
Lily heaved a small sigh, but just smiled and nodded at the right times while Gerald was talking. Maybe, said the voice at the back of her head, It's because this is James Potter, we're talking about. James.  
  
Lily then realized she just had to get away from it all. She didn't feel like crying, just think. She just felt like sitting down at somewhere peaceful, and think.  
  
She stopped dancing and said, 'Thank you, Gerald, for the wonderful dance, but I just feel dizzy. I'm just going to go outside. It's been wonderful talking with you.' Lily smiled at Gerald, and kissed him on the cheek, then left.  
~*~*~At the Lake~*~*~  
  
Echoes of Allison de Traum's sweet voice was heard from outside. There Lily was, talking with Nearly Headless Nick, near to the lake.  
  
The only source of light she had was from Nick himself, and the beautiful full moon hanging in the sky that was pitch black.  
  
She laughed at Nick's joke, and just smiled. Nearly Headless Nick then said that he had to go and find the Bloody Baron to sort some things out and left.  
  
'Bye, sir Nick.' She muffled.  
  
Suddenly, her vision was blocked by two warm hands. 'Guess who?' came a low deep whisper.  
  
Lily turned around and saw James grinning like a fool. She smiled.  
  
'Hey, James. Having a good time?'  
  
'Yeah! But it wouldn't be complete without dancing with the person that came here with me.' He looked at her. 'What you doing out here anyway? The ball's inside! You should have seen the mistletoes at work! One even caught Jemima and Sirius! They were forced to kiss, and everyone was cheering.'  
  
Lily laughed. Go mistletoe! she cheered inwardly.  
  
'I just felt dizzy, and wanted some fresh air.'  
  
James had a worried look on his face. 'Are you feeling okay? I can take you back to the common room, you know.'  
  
Lily sighed. Why does James have to be so sweet?  
  
'No, I just wanted to come out and think. What are you doing here anyway, James? Weren't you having a hell of a time inside with Carissa, Jamesie?' she teased.  
  
'Oh, come on, Lily. I doubt there's ever going to be anything between us. But I can still dream, though.' He grinned, again which made Lily melt. 'Anyway, I just felt guilty not dancing with you, since you are my date.' He looked at the ground.  
  
'Don't worry, James. I'm fine out here by myself. Go on in, and enjoy yourself,' Lily urged.  
  
'Nope, Lils. I'm not leaving till you dance with me, Lilliana.' Said James.  
  
Just as they were talking, a faint announcement was heard by Professor Dumbledore again. 'Miss De Traum did a wonderful job, now didn't she? But as she takes a break, I would like to invite, one of Hogwarts very own product, talented seventh year Peter York!' (hint hint!)  
  
Lily gasped softly. Lilliana. The only person who ever called her that was her dad; his pet name for her. That was Lily remembered the times she and James spent at the library. She remembered telling him about the "Liliana" incident. There was no way that Lily would refuse.  
  
Lily smiled and just nodded. She took James' hand and danced to the non- existent beat, that would soon be replaced.  
  
And as if on cue, a husky low voice filled the hall that made girls swoon.  
  
'You and I  
  
we're two of a kind.  
  
I hate to say it but you'll never relate,  
  
what makes you tick?  
  
It makes me smile.  
You said that I should get away from it all,  
  
and bury my head in the sand if I want to,  
  
I think you.  
  
should thank me now.  
You were lying wide awake in the garden,  
  
trying to get over your stardom,  
  
and I could never see you depart us  
  
and you're my baby...  
  
You're just another girl.  
  
You're just another girl.  
I never mind the way I had to see ya,  
  
my working on a day show never explains why I see you  
  
and I feel your pain.  
  
I love to wear my work inside of my head,  
  
I can't complain but you should never react the way you did,  
  
I feel your time.  
You were lying wide awake in the garden,  
  
Trying to get over your stardom,  
  
And I could never see you depart us  
  
and you're my baby.  
And you were lying wide awake in the garden,  
  
Trying to get over your stardom,  
  
And I could never see you depart us  
  
and you're my baby,  
  
You're just another girl,  
  
You're just another girl...'  
  
Cheers echoed the hall, and Lily and James outside stopped dancing. James gazed intently into Lily's eyes, as though searching for something.  
  
Lily however was trying so hard to not just dissolve in his arms. You idiot! Why did you have to agree to dance with him? AND TO A SLOW SONG AT THAT! Now look where you are!  
  
Lily suddenly recalled the numerous times she sketched while sitting by the lake when she was a first-year. A naïve schoolgirl who couldn't wait to fall in love; that was Lily. She would have organized her wedding theme, wedding dress, and even her children's' names.  
  
'My dear Lilliana...' James whispered as he leaned in slowly, very slowly, not thinking rationally about his actions. And then suddenly, time froze, and Lily didn't know whether she was, at this very moment, in love with the idea of being in love, or just in love with James Potter.  
  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Author's Note: I'm SO evil, aren't I? I just couldn't wait to stop and devour the reviews that would soon come. They WOULD come, right? *Shows nervous look* I HOPE THEY DO!  
  
:P  
  
Anyway, I'm getting kinda tired, so I guess I better sleep. I LOVE the ending of this chapter. And I'm really sorry if it isn't fluffy enough for you! I tried to make it fluff-all-the-way, but I'm just not in the mood. Hope you enjoy pulling your hair out to wait for the next chapter. JUST KIDDING!  
  
LoL. I'm just feeling so hyper. Sorry for my quirkiness. :) Oh well... Please tell me what you think of this chapter, and story overall. Does it suck? Does it rock? Or is on a thin line between those two?  
  
REVIEW!!  
  
Oh, and before I go off dreaming about Sean Biggerstaff, here's apples dipped in caramel and cotton candy for this lurvly people who took their time to review:  
  
Liat86, hopeless romantic, Lucia Dreams, Lamina Court, Eaiana, blahblah, Red Magic Marker, Clearbrook, mya14, Sakura Moon, JaMeS_pOtTeR_4_mE, Interested Reader, Riana-Rin, Lina Shay, -mirah, oreos aaaaand heavenly182angel.  
  
Extra caramels to those who I had forgotten to mention! ^_~  
  
-m|rAh 


	11. Bloody Fireworks

Summary: Lily Evans, 16, has been head over heels for the James Potter since god-knows-when. She decides to confess her "love" thru an anonymous love letter. Just as she was about to give it to him, she finds out he's just a royal prick. She drops it on her way to burn it (LoL). But what she doesn't know is that he found it, accidentally... What will this result? Will she regret it, or will she thank the good Lord?  
  
Disclaimer: Anything familiar isn't mine, and unfortunately belongs to the oh-so-brilliant JK Rowling, whom I salute to. Creations of mine are : Piper Valentine, Fiona, Jemima, Emily Hart, Dennis Front, Walter Reese, Winston Reese, Marie Lodge, Yvonne West, Gerald Wills, Kurt Randall and Isabelle Frall. And the song used in this chapter, "Kiss Me", by Sixpence None the Richer isn't mine either.  
  
You want to borrow my characters, I'll be flattered. You want to steal my characters, you'll be flattened. :)  
  
Author's Note: You people don't know how much THINKING this chapter took. It was THE most major and biggest writer block I had EVER had. But, what the heck, as long as I make you people happy, I'm happy. :D (corny, isn't it?)  
Recap from Chapter 10:  
  
'My dear Lilliana...' James whispered as he leaned in slowly, very slowly, not thinking rationally about his actions. And then suddenly, time froze, and Lily didn't know whether she was, at this very moment, in love with the idea of being in love, or just in love with James Potter.  
Love, An Admirer  
  
Chapter 11: Bloody Fireworks  
  
Written by: lil-miss-myra  
~*~*~James' POV~*~*~  
  
'My dear Lilliana...' I whispered and leaned in very slowly, wanting more than ever to kiss Lily Evans.  
  
*Kiss me,  
  
Down by the bearded barley,  
  
Lightly,  
  
Beside the green, green grass...*  
Suddenly, it was as if time froze, and fate gave me the chance to ponder on what I was going to do; whether it was the right thing, or whether it was just going to screw up everything.  
  
Was I moving things too fast?  
*Swing, swing,  
  
Swing the spinning step,  
  
You'll wear those shoes  
  
And I will wear that dress...*  
I mean, sure, I have known her for the past six years of my life, but I have only *really* gotten to know her this year.  
  
But what does this mean? Is this a caught-in-the-moment moment, or was I really falling for this shy Lily Evans?  
*Kiss me...  
  
Beneath the milky twilight,  
  
Lead me,  
  
Out of the moonlit floor...*  
How come suddenly, my eyes are beginning to open, as if I was blind all this while? (a/n: no pun intended.. :P) But if I was blind, what was the thing that I couldn't see?  
  
Should I kiss her?  
*Lift your open hand,  
  
Strike up the band  
  
And make the fireflies  
  
Dance silver moon sparkling...*  
I took this opportunity, which fate dawned on me, (you know, the whole time- freezing thing-a-ma-jig [a/n: LITTLE MERMAID!]) and observed her.  
  
She looked even more beautiful when she's still. She already looked beautiful without makeup, but with it on, I'm speechless. I guess Fiona is right, with just a blow dryer and cosmetics, she can do wonders.  
  
There Lily was, with her thin soft pink lips, pouting ever so slightly, and her eyes closed. Damn, wouldn't it be perfect if her eyes were open? I had always been fascinated by her vivid green eyes... But why am I saying these words, now? Why hadn't I said it earlier on?  
*So kiss me...  
  
Kiss me...*  
So I did what my instincts told me to do; I unfroze time and leaned in to kiss her... But just as my lips were about to graze hers, a loud bang was heard, and a cheer erupted.  
  
Lily and I drew back abruptly and looked away.  
  
I swore quietly under my breath, and made a vow to put on a silencing charm whenever kissing anyone.  
  
I looked up into the sky and saw fireworks; and it made a pattern in the sky,  
  
"Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs would like to wish all of Hogwarts, a Happy Christmas!"  
  
The students were still clapping away, with huge grins on their faces.  
  
But of course!  
  
I slapped myself mentally. How could I have forgotten?  
  
The Marauders & I had planned to set off fireworks during the ball, with a message.  
  
But WHY now, WHY?  
  
'Bloody fireworks,' I muttered.  
  
I looked at Lily, but I could see that Lily was trying her best to avoid *my* gaze.  
  
You idiot my conscience hissed. Look what you've done, you fat cow. I TOLD you to pull back. Well, did you? Noooooo... You wanted to trust your good ol' instincts. And what did that result? THE PERSON YOU WANTED TO KISS NOW MAY BE CRYING BECAUSE OF YOU!  
  
I winced inwardly. Why must consciences be right all the time? Can't they just be wrong for *once*.  
  
'Lily,' I tried.  
  
A muffle.  
  
'Pardon?' I said kindly.  
~*~*~Lily's POV~*~*~  
  
Don't cry... Don't cry...  
  
'I would like to return to the dorm...'  
  
I forced myself to hold back the tears.  
  
I never cried... I had only cried because of father.  
  
Father!  
  
James... He whispered Lilliana before he leaned it... He actually remembered what I had been jabbering about during the library sessions...  
  
If Petunia ever found out I was crying because of a BOY of all things, she would have been rolling on the floor in fits of laughter by now.  
  
Just a few moments ago, James Potter, JAMES POTTER, was about to kiss *me*. Can you believe it? ME!  
  
And just a few days ago, I had been reminiscing about James not even noticing me. Look where I am now? But why did he have to kiss me - wait, cancel that. He didn't kiss me, but he was about to... That makes matters ever worse!  
  
How am I going to converse with him in the future? A close-kiss isn't normal among friends - it's supposed to mean something!  
  
What if it was an accident?  
  
What if, he hadn't meant to kiss me...?  
  
But, what if he did? whispered the quiet voice in me.  
~*~*~James' POV~*~*~  
  
'I would like to return to the dorm...' she quietly whispered.  
  
Good going, James. Lily would never want to partner you in Charms anymore, after this. Let alone speak.  
  
But is she right, doing this? If she had ignored the fireworks, smiled mischievously, and leaned in again, what would have happened?  
  
Don't be daft, James. You know Lily isn't that type.  
  
Oh, right.  
  
Should I stop her? Should I just kiss her?  
  
What am I suppose to do?  
  
I just nodded solemnly, and said, 'I'll take you to the dorm, if you'd really want.  
  
'No, I don't need an escort,' she said quietly.  
  
'No, I insist.' I said, softly.  
  
She heaved a heavy sigh, and said, 'Alright, then. Whatever.'  
  
So we took off, with Lily walking ever so faster whenever I neared her.  
~*~*~Third Person's POV~*~*~  
  
They finally reached the Gryffindor Dorm - none of them speaking to each other.  
  
As soon as they neared the Portrait of the Fat Lady, they heard a soft snore - coming from the lady herself.  
  
James coughed, and her eyes snapped open, with pink cheeks. She suddenly began fanning herself quickly, trying to cover up the embarrassment. She then muttered, 'P-Password?'  
  
James cleared his throat and said, 'Flibbertigibbet.'  
  
The portrait swung open, and allowed the two youths to enter. Lily abruptly walked up the staircase leading to the Girls' Dormitory, not muttering a single word.  
  
'G-Good night, Lily,' James managed, trying to grasp her attention.  
  
Silence, was all that greeted him.  
  
James blew the awfully-long-unwanted-untamed-cursed bangs of his and he plopped on the couch.  
~*~*~James' POV~*~*~  
What's going on?  
  
Why is life suddenly taking a sharp turn?  
  
Was this a normal phenomenon that occurs to every sixteen year old teenage boy?  
  
My main sole purpose of going to the ball was to have fun, of course, and to dance with Carissa, but it was also to find out who my secret admirer was.  
  
Now there are three people in my life to confuse me; Carissa, the secret admirer, whom I have named "Angel" (AN for anonymous, and angel, as that what I assume she is), and Lily...  
  
This Angel, who is she? I mean, is she ever going to reveal herself? Will she forever leave me clueless; am I just wasting my time?  
  
I growled in frustration; this isn't helping me at all.  
  
But back to Lily.  
  
Why didn't she slap or stop me?  
  
Why did she just let me lean in?  
  
James was lost in his ocean of thoughts, not realizing he was practically walking up and down outside the Portrait of the Fat Lady. People would think he might have forgotten the password.  
  
Occasionally, fellow Gryffindors who went in would stop, and mutter, 'The password's flibbertigibbet, James.'  
  
The Fat Lady, who was clearly trying to get some sleep even muttered at one fellow Gryffindor in her sleep, 'He knows that, you twit! He let a girl in!'  
  
So I did what my instincts told me to, find Remus.  
  
I rushed to the Great Hall, while the Christmas Ball lasted in search of the sensible one among the Marauders.  
  
I finally reached the table where Remus was supposed to be with Piper Valentine. Apparently, they were having a ball of a time, dancing. Seeing the lovey-dovey look on Piper's face, I guess she's already falling in love with him. I chuckled, but quickly neared them.  
  
I tapped Piper on her shoulder and said, 'I'm so sorry, Piper, doll, but could I please have a moment with Remus?'  
  
Apparently, Remus wasn't the only one with the charm.  
  
She blushed and said, 'Of course, James,' She looked at Remus. 'See you later, Remmy...'  
  
Instead of going off the dancefloor, I decided to stay and dance with him, despite the stares we were attracting.  
  
'Prongs,' Remus muttered, 'Do you know how embarrassing this is, for me to dance with a guy?'  
  
I shrugged it off. 'So what, Moony? Everyone knows we're straight.' I grinned.  
  
Remus rolled his eyes. 'Whatever, James. Where were you during the fireworks, anyway? The Bimbo Squad were looking all over for you. *Oh dear, where's Jamesie? Remmy! Siri! Have you seen Jamesie?*' mimicked Remus in a high voice.  
  
'That doesn't really matter, Remmy.' I said, while trying to control the red, after the mention of the fireworks. 'Besides, I really need to talk to you.' I lowered my voice.  
  
Remus looked at me with concern in his eyes, 'Oh Good Lord, James. What trouble did you let yourself get into *this* time?'  
  
'I - InearlykissedLily.' I rushed.  
  
'You WHAT?' he half-shouted.  
  
'I - I nearly, NEARLY, well... Mine and ...'  
  
'Oh, come on, Prongs!'  
  
'I nearly kissed Lily,' I finished.  
  
Remus found this quite amusing. 'And?'  
  
'And?' I said, my eyes nearly bulging from it's sockets. 'The bloody fireworks stopped me from finishing it.'  
  
Remus chuckled. 'You wanted to kiss her, James?'  
  
I didn't answer, as Allison de Traum finished a song, and everyone applauded. Remus dragged me outside, not realizing someone else was there.  
  
'Well, answer my question, James! Did you or did you not want to kiss Lily?'  
  
I looked down, and said 'I well, I guess I wanted to,' I said sheepishly. 'Remus, I can't handle this anymore! I mean first, I'm all about Carissa. Suddenly, this angel sends me this anonymous letter, and makes me feel delighted. Then, LILY appears. As I get more acquainted with her, I feel more free...'  
  
Remus looked at me strangely.  
  
I scoffed, 'I don't sound myself, do I?'  
  
Remus nodded.  
  
'But I don't get it, Moony...' I ran a hand through my thick hair. 'She didn't pull back, nor did she stop and slap my face. Why didn't she?'  
  
Suddenly, a figure appeared out of no where - Winston Reese, Walter's twin. [a/n: sorry if ur sick of twins!]  
  
'Because she fancies you, you dolt.'  
  
I felt beads of sweat rolling down my face. 'W-Win?'  
  
'No need to feel ashamed, James. You're a lucky guy, you are.'  
  
Remus watched silently.  
  
'Lily likes you, James.'  
  
'W-what?' I asked, flabbergasted.  
  
Was Winston nuts? Lily Evans, does NOT like me.  
  
'I'm serious, James. I heard her myself.'  
  
'She confessed to you?'  
  
'Well, no. I was on my way to meet Regina, and I guess, I sort of overheard her gasping, and what was she gasping at? Your conversation with Sirius.'  
  
Suddenly, it all clicked! So it was LILY, who was that mysterious phantom near the empty classroom?  
  
'Why didn't you tell me earlier?'  
  
Walter stuck his hands in his pockets and said, 'Well, I wasn't for sure if she liked you, or whether she liked Sirius. But after listening to this humorous dialogue, I guess you're our winner, Mr Potter.' He winked. 'Sorry if you're mad for eavesdropping, James. Remus. But I guess it'll help in the future, now won't it?' Winston smirked. 'Well, I better get back to Regina. She's probably waiting for me. I guess my chill out time did have some benefits, didn't it?'  
  
I was confused, but I just nodded.  
  
'See you in class, Potter.'  
  
I never did understand Winston Reese. He was a quiet person, compared to Walter. Hardly talks, quite popular among girls in Ravenclaw, but was such a mystery. But, was Winston bull-ing?  
  
Remus chuckled, and brought me back from wonderland.  
  
'S-Sorry, Moony.' I smiled a dazed one. 'What should I do, Remus?'  
  
'Go for the one who likes you back, James.' He said simply. 'As easy as that? But do you like her?'  
  
I thought, and thought. What if she's like the other girls, James? Like the Bimbo Squad. Who's only after your looks, and wealth. I thought. But, what if she isn't?  
  
I ran as fast as my legs could carry me to the Girl's Dorm and heard Remus' soft laugh.  
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~* ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Author's Note: Hola! I'm sorry if this ending is lame, and that I'm lacking. I just didn't have the mood, and desperately wanted to post this up. SORRY if you're disappointed! :(  
  
Well, I'd just like to say, to those of you who read Original Fiction, please check out my new story! It's called : Unwanted Affection   
  
Oh, and before I go, I would like to ask for a favor. Would anyone like to be my Beta reader? If someone's willing to, then bless you! Do email me if you'd like to at simply_mirah@yahoo.com  
  
Does anyone know how to use the HTML tags to activate Bold, Outline and Italic? Please include the instructions in a lovely review, if you know.  
  
And for the last REAL time, if anyone would like to send me e-mails on updates of Love, An Admirer, please include your e-mail, AND at least something saying that you would want to. I'm so sorry if this is the third time I asked.  
  
Since I've asked for SO many unnecessary favors, I'd give you a treat of a PREVIEW of Chapter 12. WEEE!!  
  
Preview - Chapter 12:  
  
'What are these?' He said holding up unfinished letters.  
  
'N-nothing!' She said, quickly grabbing, and tearing them up, throwing it into the dust bin. How could I have been so stupid, to not burn them! She thought, mentally slapping herself.  
Thanks: (Yummy cotton candy to all!)  
  
tom girl, Lamina Court, bertiebottsgeorge, DV, mystikalo, everblue3, Embyr- Dragon, Red Magic Marker, heavenly182angel, anna, Lils, Krissy, zebragurl, Clearbrook, bebe-chrissy, skyleia, Lil-Brat888, Cedric+Cho=4eva, kuro- tenshi_2nd, AvrilLavigneRocks, Maigon Jesolite, TheSilverLady, Slinkysly, oreos, Riana-Rin, Authoress, Jackster, Lina Shay aaaaand blahblah!  
  
Note: I think most of you were quite confused with the whole "Peter York" thing. I think only one reader (everblue3) realized the hint. :P Peter York was supposed to be Pete Yorn, who is the real singer of the song "Just Another Girl". 


	12. Unbelievable

**_Summary: __It all started with a simple love letter, for James Potter, from a lovely admirer. Love letters led to friendships; friendships led to confusion; and finally confusion, slowly led to love. With just three meaningful words, it brought joy to young Potter's heart: Love, An Admirer. _**

**_Disclaimer: __Anything familiar isn't mine, and unfortunately belongs to the oh-so-brilliant JK Rowling, whom I salute to. Creations of mine are : Piper Valentine, Fiona, Jemima, Emily Hart, Dennis Front, Walter Reese, Winston Reese, Marie Lodge, Yvonne West, Gerald Wills, Kurt Randall  and Isabelle Frall. _**

**_Author's Note:_ _Howdy! I've decided to change the summary, as I was bored with the previous one. What do y'all think? Is it better? Anyhoo, by the look of this chapter, this story is going to end soon, with just one or two more chapters. *Burst into tears* I'm quite happy though, 'cause when I finish this, it'll be the FIRST story I've completed. But, if I have the time, I might make a few problems arouse, and it'll be slightly longer. BUT, I'm not keeping any promises! KEEP ON REVIEWING! _**

_Besides, if you don't want me to end this, give me plots so I can write!_

**_Shout Outs!: 1)__ thanks to **everblue3** for telling me how to use the bold, italic and underline. _****2) Happy 19th Birthday to my big sis, **Fara**. If you somehow miraculously came upon this story, birthday hugs and kisses to you! Good luck for your A-Levels too! **3) **Thanks **a bunch** to ****Jadesfire28 for editing my callous mistakes, and for giving me suggestions and comments.**

**Love, An Admirer  
Chapter 12: Unbelievable**

_~James POV~_

I ran to the Gryffindor Tower, wanting to settle it there and then. With the help of the training skills I developed from Quidditch, I could run pretty well. My only goal for tonight was to set things straight with Lily. Find out the truth whether she likes me, or not. But the goal I must achieve first is to find out whether _I_ like her.

I muttered the password for the Fat Lady, and rushed to the Girls Dormitory. I knocked, quite impatiently, but alas, only silence greeted me. I just barged in, not caring whether a girl might be undressing. No one was in Lily's dormitory. As quickly as I could, I rushed to the Boys' Dorm, and took out the Marauders' Map. I whipped out my wand and tapped the parchment and said, 'I solemnly swear I'm up to no good.'

A map started to appear, and I waited for the dot labeled "Evans" to appear. My eyes widened to where the dot appeared at – one of the hidden rooms the Marauders and I discovered three years back! Though my brain's a little rusty, I wasn't quite sure of the way to the room, but I remembered the portrait-holder for that particular room – the pretty fairy who blushed when I first discovered her. Even with the aid of the map, I'd probably be lost quite a few times.

Since I had a reputation to live up to (mostly, to create mischief), I knew all the Portraits in Hogwarts, and kept a relationship with each and every one of them, to aid me during pranks. Even though I had this small Portrait Network, they never exploit other portraits, just incase someone wanted to rip him or her. However, the only blunt portrait who would do so, just to help _Damsels in Distress, was the one and only, wannabe knight, Sir Cadogan. He first arrived in Hogwarts way back when I was in second year. I would be surprised if he remained alive. _

I stepped out of the Gryffindor Tower, and asked the Fat Lady, 'Excuse me, Ma'am. I don't wish to disturb you but –'

'Oh, of course.' She interrupted. '_No one wishes to disturb me, though all of you _somehow_ do!'_

I ignored her rudeness, quite annoyed, and carried on. 'Would you please be kind enough to tell me where Sir Cadogan is?'

The Fat Lady snorted. 'Cadogan?' Snort. 'You'd be mad to think he's still here! Unfortunately, he is though. Mad coot, that boy is. Don't have a clue _how_ Dumbledore hired him. Anyway,' she said, fanning herself. 'He probably has nothing to do at the moment, and is in the Great Hall, waiting for students to call him their savior. Never liked knights. Never wi- Ah! There he is!' The Fat Lady said exclaimed, nudging to her far left. 'Disturbing that poor boy. Quick, now! Before he starts scaring the life out of that young one.'

I left the Fat Lady with a charming smile, towards Sir Cadogan. He hasn't changed a bit, since when I first saw him. Clad in armour, with a scabbard, riding on a fat pony. 'Sir Cadogan!' I shouted, interrupting his conversation with the second-year. 'I need help!'

Sir Cadogan's ears perked. 'Help, you say? Quest, is _my_ middle name!' He said, proudly. 'Never fear, Cadogan's here! Now, what may I do for you, young comrade?'

'Do you know the fairy? The one on the Hidden Committee?' I asked. 

[_a/n__: I made up the Hidden Committee and the Portrait-Holder. Hidden Committee is something like a society for Potraits who takes care of the hidden rooms. Portrait-Holder however is the post of the Portrait who takes care of a certain place.]  _

Sir Cadogan blushed, which could even be seen under his visor. 'Ah, yes. The pretty one... With yellow wings? Fair features? Very soft voice?'

I smiled, 'Yes. Er, that one.'

'Why of course!' He bellowed. 'Come on then! I'll bring you to her! _Tally Ho!_'He nudged his sword upward, which caused a fall. He just laughed weakly, and climbed on his fat pony once again. 

I followed Sir Cadogan, through a few passage ways and finally reached the room. 'Thank you, Sir.' I said, expressing my gratitude.

'No need to thank me, young one. It was a task well done. Let's be off now, Francesca!' He said, waving a goodbye to me, and the pretty Fairy.

I walked up to her, and said, 'Ah, do you still remember me?'

The Fairy blushed. 'Of course, I do,' she said in her timid voice. 'The one who found me. Where are you other three friends?' 

'Oh, I'm here alone,' I smiled.

She blushed again. 'Would you let me in? It's quite important,' I urged.

The Fairy looked confused and said, 'I don't know... The wonderful girl who found me two years ago is in there, and she's not quite happy. She doesn't look like one who wishes to be disturbed.'

I pleaded, with my special charm. 'Please? This is for her! Won't you feel better, if _she feels better?'_

She smiled. 'I – I guess. Oh well,' she gave up. 'If it's to make her happy. Go on in then, lad.' Once again she blushed, while letting me in. 

_~Third Person's POV~ _

_[a/n: I'm very sorry if I'm confusing all of you with the switch of POV's. It's just that sometimes I want it to be from HIS POV, and sometimes HERs, and sometimes them both! Please understand.]_

Lily sat on the couch, dazing off into space, looking at the cackling fire to keep herself warm. She sighed, and sighed repeatedly.

She didn't notice the Portait opening, as she was too busy reminiscing...

__

_'My dear Lilliana...' James whispered, as he slowly leaned in._

She sipped the hot cocoa which was prepared by the kind House Elves. 'Lily?' whispered the quite familiar voice. She thought she was hallucinating, as she turned around, shocked.

Lily stood up abruptly at the sight of the voice owner. She nearly spilled the hot cocoa, but was clever enough to leave it on the side table. 

'W-What are you doing here? I – but – no one –' Lily stuttered.

'Hush...' James raised his finger to silence Lily on the lips, but drew back his hand, not wanting to know the consequences. 'I – well... I went back to the ball.'

Lily snorted, but soon silenced herself.

'And I went to see Remus, and asked him for advice.'

Lily dived into the couch. 'And what may I ask was the advice about?'

James gulped and said, 'Girls.' 

Lily shot a questioning glance at him. 'What?'

'I, well...' He cleared his throat, not wanting to sound like an idiot. 'Anyway, I saw Winston Reese, and he said that,' James inhaled deeply. 'You. Like. Me. Is it true?'

Her eyes widened. _How on earth did Win find out? I never told anyone, except Fi and Jem! That's unless... Fiona told Jeremy, and Jeremy told Winston?!, she thought._

'In case you're thinking someone blabbed out anything, Win said he overheard you, well, saying _something about,' James inhaled again. [a/n: LOL!] 'You liking me.'_

Lily looked down, and was embarrassed. 'I do,' she said, ever so softly.

James looked up. 'What?'

'I do! I do alright, I DO!' Lily was frustrated. Was everyone deaf? 'I have ever since,' Lily slowed down. 'Fourth year... I mean, what is there not to like in you? You're just... You're just... God, I don't even know! After seeing the countless times when you and the Marauders teased Snape; protected the first and second years from the Slytherins; who wouldn't like you, James Potter? Sometimes I get so mad that you're so oblivious to the fact that _I_ am alive! I get so mad that you never notice me! Even at the prefect meetings... _I get _so mad!_ And yet, I still like you...!' Lily took a gulp of air to continue. 'Yet, I don't blame you for not noticing me, on account of my shrinking attitude... What does it take to get a popular (person) to notice a wall flower?' Lily sat on the floor, not caring whether it might ruin her robes. 'And somehow miraculously, we're paired up this year in Charms. Finally, you noticed me, and we became friends.'_

'Lily?' James asked.

She ignored him, and continued. 'But what if Professor Flitwick _hadn't paired us? You would have still ignored me. You would have never known that Lily Evans existed. Do you know James, that sometimes, I just hope, let alone wish that you would like me...'_

'Lily?'

'But, that's impossible, now isn't it?' Lily started walking back and forth. 'I mean why would James Potter, fancy Lily Evans, of _all_ people? ME?' Lily breathed in and out. 'Suddenly, you started getting closer to me. I started feeling scared, yet more comfortable around me. And then, you asked me to the ball, perhaps maybe Carissa agreed to go with Kurt –'

'Now wait a moment –'  

'And then the near-_kiss! Do you know how I felt when you called me Lilliana? Do you know how many sad and happy moments you brought back to me? Do you know how it affected me? But of course, you were just caught in the moment with Peter singing in the background and all...' Lily looked down, eyeing the burgundy carpet. 'Do you know how sad I felt, to think that maybe, you might have thought of Carissa when you were leaning in, but only mentioned my name, because you knew it was me?'_

'_Lily!' _

She looked up, stared straight into James' eyes, and teardrops were seen forming.

'I, I –' James breathed in. 'What's that?' James said, pointing to the desk where Lily wrote the love letter, once upon a time. 

Lily had made the scrunched up balls of paper disappear, but not _destroyed_. The familiar handwriting caught his eye.

'Excuse me.' James' hand reached out for one of the crumpled papers, and opened it. It read,

_Dear James Earl Potter,_

_This is probably your –_

And then there were words which were cancelled with a long line. James shot a questioning glance at Lily, and she gasped.

'What are these?' He said, holding up the unfinished letters.

'N-nothing!' She said, quickly grabbing, and tearing them up, throwing it into the dust bin. _How could I have been so stupid to not burn them!, she thought, mentally slapping herself. _Why did he have to find it?__

His eyes widened. '_You're_ the admirer, aren't you?'

Lily kept quiet, and crept back.

'_You're _the one who wrote that letter!' James exclaimed. '_You're _the one who dropped that letter purposely!'

Lily shivered, afraid that he was going to hate her, after discovering it was _her_ all along.

James neared Lily and said softly, 'You're the _angel who had the heart to write me that anonymous letter...'_

Lily looked up into James' eyes, and a blush was creeping up on her cheeks.

'W-what?'

'Did you think I was joking when I said the person who wrote the letter was a doll?' asked James. He ran a hand through his thick hair. 'Lily, do me a favour, would you?'

She looked up.

'Close your eyes.'

'What?' Lily asked, puzzled.

'Just close your eyes...' said James.

_~*~Lily's POV~*~_

_Is James mad?, I thought. _Why would he want me to close my eyes?__

I just closed my eyes, not caring what he was going to do. I stood there, waiting for him to do something. 

'James, I swear if you don't –' I tried to say.

But I was cut off abruptly, by a sweet tingling kiss. I felt a special feeling, one which still remained undiscovered by Lily Evans. I was shocked, surprised, happy, _beyond happy! _

_James. Potter. Is. Kissing. Me!!!, I shouted and squealed inside._

So I did what my instincts told me to do: I kissed him back. He finally pulled away, ending the sweet kiss.

My fingers went up to my lips, and I could still feel the tingling sensation. 'My first kiss,' I whispered. And yes, it was. To think that _my_ first _kiss was from __James Potter!_

I swear I had this dazed and dreamy look on my face, but all I could see on James was his triumphant grin. 

'I like you, Lily,' said James, seriously. 

I pinched James on the arm, causing him to yelp.

'Ow! Why did you do that, Lily? I was telling you I like you!'

'To make sure you're not dreaming,' I said softly.

He just laughed, but kept quiet. 'And to answer your question previous question, _no_, I _wasn't_ thinking about Carissa,nor have I liked her before. I guess, as shallow as it may sound, I only liked her for her outside, not the inside, even though I _never_ really liked her. I was thinking of you, and only you, Lily. You were, well _are now, the only person occupying my thoughts.' Said James, filling my heart with joy._

'Lilliana...' He said, making me tremble all over. He cupped my face in his hands. 'I like you, and this is no joke. I – I've liked you since the meeting by the lake, but just never realized it was _you_ who I liked.' James kissed me on my forehead. 'You're unbelievable, Lily. You really are. I ask for one simple question to be answered, and you start spilling out your life story,' James grinned.

'It's not my fault some people are deaf,' I mumbled.

'Pardon?' James said, lifting up my chin.

'Nothing. I – Are you sure this isn't some kind of cruel prank you're playing? I mean, the whole thing you said, and the kiss.' I asked, blushing.

'No, Lily. Never,' he whispered.

'Good, then I can do this,' I smiled, and kissed him. I was equally shocked as he was. _Never before have I been brave, _never _was I straight-forward. Till this day, it amazed me how I got into Gryffindor._

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**_Author's Note: __WEEEE!! Finally, they KISS, and James finds out she wrote the letter. I'm very __sorry if this is too short! I just HAD to end it there. Short and sweet, right? Before I stop, your comments! Is it too fast? Did he find out too fast? If he did, TELL ME, and I'll rewrite this chapter (I'm willing to. :D) and post it up again!_**

_Questions that I really **have **__to ask:_

**_1) Is this too fast?_**

**_2) Should she have kissed him back? _**

**_3) Should James have been mad at Lily for not telling him about the letter?_**

**_4) Should Lily have __not ****__be****__ all giddy about James' kiss?_**

****

_Thank you **a lot** for the wonderful reviews, and again to my beta reader!_

_Delicious scones for these wonderful people:_

_tom__ girl_

_Anarane__ Anwamane_

_Sun Chime: **COOL! You're 3rd of March? We Piscians ROCK! Hehehe...Thanks for reading this, and enjoy! Btw, thanks for your wish, and happy belated birthday to you too!**_

_everblue3: **Thank you SO much, for telling me how to use the bold, italics, and underline. I'm having SO much fun using it. As you can see, I have quite a number of displays of the bolds and italics!** _

_prongs__: **Chill out! You don't have to pull out your hair, not when Wonder Woman is here! Hehehe... Have fun reading!**_

_Cedric+Cho__=4eva: **What's sick chippy? LoL. Do tell in a review!**_

_Slinkysly__: **Thank god you liked the preview! I was afraid people would think it revealed too much, and that it'll spoil the whole thing!**_

_bebe-chrissy___

_Maigon__ Jesolite: **Yippee! Another one who watched **How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days! **I LOVE that movie. Absolutely funny! Kate Hudson: I love you, Benny boo boo. Boo-boo-boo! **LoL****.****** I nearly died laughing. Anyway, that's quite a coincidence. Enjoy this chapter! **_

_MegHarts__: **I know... I LOVE writing especially evil cliffies, though I HATE reading them. :)**_

_miss__ wings _

_Lina__ Shay:** Have I confused you? LoL. Actually, I **_**just_ created Winston, so you didn't miss anything, don't worry! Since everyone_ guessed it was Remus, I didn't want him being the one knowing about Lily's crush. Anyway, a Beta reader (I think) it something like an editor?__**

_Lamina Court:** I finished Chapter 12, JUST for you. LoL. Hope you like it! Love your cookie crumbles... Is it Oreos?**_

_mystikalolo___

_Lils__: **I know! That's why I created Winston to clear everything up, and to give him a clear picture! :D**_

_Sugarquill___

_Adara__: **Thank you for thinking my plot is great! I was getting kind of worried, that readers might think the whole letter thing might be a wee bit boring. Thanks again, and enjoy! **_

_Andufeniel__: **Don't go mad! I don't want people coming after me! Hehehe... Anyway, thanks for reading this story! New readers are always welcomed with opened arms! **_

_TheLillyPotter_

_starblaze_

_fairypixie3: **Wow, amazing writer?! I'm flattered! Thank you thank you so much for reading!** _

_Marauderz__*TomBoi_

_Riana-Rin: **Fantabulous? Cool! Anyway, good luck on the whole story competition thingy. You're a great writer, Rin! Anyway, thanks for taking the time to review!**_

_Knockturnalley256 _

_bertiebottsgeorge_

_aaaand_

_zebragurl__: **You've got your wish, zebragurl! I hope you don't think it's too fast, although **many** people requested for a Lily/James smooch! And yes, it FINALLY got through his thick head that Lils is the one. He finally finds out that she's the admirer. I hope you're happy, and please keep on reading!**_

_I'm greatly flattered by your reviews. Do keep them coming, even if their flames. I love feedback. I just hope I satisfied you hungry readers. Again, if you enjoy original fiction, do read my story entitled **Unwanted Affection. I'm probably wasting your time, but please give it a try!**_

**_Link: _**

_Thank you all so much for your time! I never would have continued, without your encouraging reviews. Toodle-oo!_

_-m|rAh_


	13. A Proposed Woman

**_Summary: __It all started with a simple love letter, for James Potter, from a lovely admirer. Love letters led to friendships; friendships led to confusion; and finally confusion, slowly led to love. With just three meaningful words, it brought joy to young Potter's heart: Love, An Admirer. _**

**_Disclaimer: __Anything familiar isn't mine, and unfortunately belongs to the oh-so-brilliant JK Rowling, whom I salute to. Creations of mine are : Piper Valentine, Fiona, Jemima, Emily Hart, Dennis Front, Walter Reese, Winston Reese, Marie Lodge, Yvonne West, Gerald Wills, Kurt Randall, Isabelle Frall, and the Fairy and the portrait societies thingy. _**

**Love, An Admirer**

**Chapter 13: A Proposed Woman**

Twenty three year old Lily Evans dropped her suitcase on the desk. She stood up, peering over the other cubicles in the Daily Prophet department. Just a few years ago, Lily had received the job of a reporter for the Daily Prophet, the most updated and reliable Wizarding newspaper. She waved to a few colleagues and plopped on the chair. Her main ambition was to be a doctor, to help those in St. Mungo's, but she knew she wasn't right for it.  

She arranged the stack of papers which were scattered all over her desk and smiled as she saw Mr Evan's face smiling at her from a frame on the left side of her desk. As she turned to face the right frame, she giggled. Memories of Hogwarts brought both joy and tears. There in the frame, stood seven youths, all in quirky positions. They were none other than the infamous Marauders – James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew, Jemima Richards, Fiona Caldwell and herself during their teens.

She opened her drawer, and there lay a full sized picture of James alone smooching Lily. She laughed, but quieted down as soon as the chief gave her a stern look. Lily's long delicate fingers traced James' face. Lily heaved a sigh. It had been quite a while since James last contacted her. He had always been fascinated by Defence Against Dark Arts lessons during Hogwarts, that he enrolled into the most prestigious Auror Academy, a few moons after graduating from Hogwarts. 

As part of the practice, James and a few pre-aurors were to go on a real mission, with real Death Eaters, and Lily has been fretting over him ever since. They had lost contact for about a week or so, and Lily was beginning to worry. 

Lily dipped her favourite quill into a pot of ink, and was determined to write a letter to the Ministry, complaining about how dangerous it was to send pre-aurors to such dangerous missions. But as soon as she picked up her quill, she saw an envelope, welcoming her to open it.

It was written _Lilliana__ on the front, and butterflies started to flutter in her stomach. _It's from James!_, she screamed in her mind. She smelled the envelope, realizing it was scented. It smelled of freshly picked white lilies, which were Lily's favourite. No pun intended._

Not caring whether a report was due, she ripped the envelope open, feeling very ecstatic. As she did so, a small note fell out, but it remained invisible to Lily as the only thing on Lily's mind was: _James. James. James._

_Dear Lily Evans,_

_          It has been exactly seven years since I first gotten to know you; since I first started cherishing you; since I first fell in love with you. Can you believe, it? Seven **wondrous** years! And to think that this all started with a simple letter? Who knew? Life has changed **a lot since I met you. In fact, life has changed tremendously.**_

_          Slowly, you taught me many things. You opened my eyes, made me realize the real juice of life. Love. I guess pulling pranks **was and ****is my source of life, but you had made space for more; made space for you.**_

_          I bet while you're reading this, you're probably thinking, **What ever happened to James? Has he been brainwashed by Voldermort's goons? I guess I have changed from silly Jamesie to lovey dovey. Sick, isn't it? Oh well, don't worry; the James you fell in love with is still here, strong as ever. Oh, Lily, why couldn't you have been an auror? Wouldn't it be wonderful to be the hot topic of every newspaper? Headlines, **Famous Love Duo Potter & Evans Undefeated Again! **Wouldn't that be just glamorous? No, no... I'll be nagging you 24 hours a day, to be careful and all. Alright, so I guess you suit as a reporter much better. Why wouldn't you, with your excellent writing skills?**_

_          Okay, I've had enough of our careers. Let's go back to your favourite topic, loooooooove. Wouldn't you just swoon hearing me pronounce that word? ANYWAY, back to the topic. As sappy as this may sound, I guess you are right, about what you said the day we graduated.. Love really does affect people in many different ways. My life wouldn't have been anymore complete without you. But I really still wonder, what would have happened if your beautiful fingers had not picked up a quill, and wrote me the letter? But of course, I would have already fallen for you without the letter. Who wouldn't, with your hypnotizing beauty?_

_I left some space for you to take the time to swoon over me. Yes, swoon. But do tell me something, sweet innocent Lilliana, **have **you been swooning over me for the past few months of my absence? I sure as hell hope so. The Marauders ask of your well being. How is Jemima? Sirius is still wondering whether she'd reconsider courting him._

_How are you, darling? I've missed you so, that even my mates complain about me talking about you all time. That's a good thing, isn't it? At least you know my head is tuned on to the Lily Evans channel twenty four – seven. Speaking of mates, I'm back, and alive from the mission. Although Lord Voldemort's power is rising slowly and is beginning to par with Grindelwald, we succeeded the mission, and got enough information about him.  _

_But enough about evil baddies, I have something **very** important to tell you. As I was roaming the streets of Diagon Alley (Yes, I'm back in __London__, sweetheart), I bumped into none other than Professor Flitwick. I couldn't help but hug that man, as if it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have met you. He told me Professor Dumbledore would be hosting a 6 year Hogwarts reunion for us 7th Years. _

_I guess the Head Boy and Head Girl would be seen together, again? But as I met Professor Flitwick outside Eeylops Owl Emporium, I just knew he had to be one of the people among those sitting on the grand table at our wedding. Yes, **wedding**._

**_Would you marry me, Lily, my love? _**__

_I've been waiting to ask you that question since we graduated from Hogwarts. But I knew you had your priorities and I had mine, and I knew you would have wanted us to take it easy, and that you wanted a long strong relationship. And so we have lass, and I had shared seven years of joy with you. Finally, I have carried enough courage to ask you to be my companion for life. Since I know you like I know the back of my wand, I knew you would have been disappointed without a ring. But alas, don't fret fair maiden. I have practiced this charm a billion times, and I have perfected it. In just a matter of seconds, a ring will appear in front of you. _

_I guess this charm wouldn't have been successful without the help from Professor Flitwick. A jolly helpful man, he is. To make things even more romantic and mysterious, I would only wish to accept your answer personally. Your invitation will be enclosed with this letter. I have also done a favour for Professor Dumbledore, and will pass you the letter that has your invitation to the __Reunion__ Ball. Before I leave, I have only one more request, do not reply this letter, and only keep in contact with me until the Ball? _

_Love you,_

_James Potter (the best-looking bloke in all of __England__)_

As said in the letter, enclosed with it was the invitation to the reunion.

_HOGWARTS__SCHOOL__ OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY _

_Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore_

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed, of Wizards)_

_Dear Ms Evans, _

_          We are pleased to invite you to the Annual Hogwarts Reunion specifically for the seventh years, Class of 1971 to be held in the Great Hall, __Hogwarts__School__ of Witchcraft and Wizardry. We would be pleased if you would be present at the venue no later than _7:45pm___. As you were the Head Girl, you and the Head Boy (James Potter) are expected to conduct the opening ceremony, as well as giving a speech. We await your owl by no later than a week from now._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Deputy Headmistress _

In a very untidy writing, a _P.T.O. _was written at the bottom left which the acronym was for _Please Turn Over._

On the back, there was a scribble.

_Lee-lee_

_Meet me in the hidden room with the fairy at _seven o'clock___ sharp. Re-living the past._

_James_

Lily smiled and couldn't wait to meet everyone again, especially the old gang. Hogwarts brought nostalgic memories, and Lily would do anything to go back in time.

  
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**_Author's Note: __Ta-Da! Well, I didn't want to write their seventh year, coz I think it'd be a waste of time. But if you would like this chapter to be revised, I would be more than happy to agree! Anyway, next chapter is the last! BOOHOO! I just hope I have the heart to write it! Do u think it's too soon to end it?? I dunno, I gotta have feedback!_**

_Thanks to WONDERFUL people like these people mentioned below: (bottomless Haagen-Dazs ice cream to all! Refills on me!)_

**_everblue3: __Wonderful! Thanks so much for reviewing, and I just came across your story Outrunning Our Shadows. _It's great! I haven't really finished reading, but I expect it to be very good! I know; we fish rock. I know; we have to wait for SO long just to have our birthdays. The ups and downs for having a birthday in March. *sigh* Oh well, at least we get the presents first! Thanks for reviewing!__**

**_Anarane_****_ Anwamane: __Yes and no? Hmm... I'd have to think about that...LoL. Anyway, thanks SO much for reviewing!_**

**_Maigon_****_ Jesolite: __I had to update fast. Home is driving me mad, and so is school. The only haven I have is fanfiction.net. [Insert the spotlight from the clouds with the harmonic sound of a gospel choir, "Aaaaaa..."] LoL. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to drop a comment!_**

**_catgoddess13: __*giggle* I like that line too, though I seriously don't know where all the quirky phrases come from. Weird, I know. :)_**

**_blackdragonofdeath13: __Phew! I was afraid people were going to think it was fast... Arigato!_**

**_TigerRose_****_: __Da__ bomb? COOLIO! LoL... You rock! I'm deeply flattered!_**

**_Irina_****__**

**_mystikalolo_****_: __Thank you thank you so much! I'm really glad I could be of assistance! After writing the story on Word, you should save it under the _****Webpage format, and all the bold, italic and underline will appear! Thanks again to ****everblue3!**

**_blahblah_****__**

**_marissa_****_: __No no... I just have one more chapter till its done. *sheds a tear* Oh well, who knows what might happen? :)_**

**_Tinkerbellhp07:__ Holy shiz? LoL! Love that phrase? Mind if I use it when I talk to friends? Anyway, thanks for reviewing, and I'll definitely try and have the time to read your story. GO YOU!_**

**_krissy_****__**

**_MegHarts_****_: __Don't worry, I still have one more chapter. I really hope you allow me to finish there! Do keep on reviewing, and never stop reading! :D_**

**_Reader4Life:__ Nice nick! Terima kasih LOTS! And if you're wondering whether I'm speaking gibberish (LoL), it means "Thank You" in Malay. It's the mother tongue for __Malaysia__, where I come from! :D Anyway, I used it coz I got quite sick of typing Thank You's all the time!_**

**_DaRkAnGel143:__ Thanks for answering my questions! And again, thanks for dropping a review! (man, I feel like a robot programmed to say that)_**

**_Andufeniel_****_:__ I'm so sorry if I'm not capable of answering your request. Sadly, I am going to end this story by the next chapter. I somehow hope it'll reach 300 reviews by then! (can't you tell if I'm dropping hints? :P) _**

**_Little House Girl:__ I know... It was so fluffy, wasn't it? Hope you enjoy this _chappie___!_**

**_Frankie_**

**_bertiebottsgeorge_****_: __LoL__... twitching...i don't take that as a very good sign... don't fret! Lily is slut-free in this ficcie...:D hope you enjoy this chapter! Do drop a review!_**

**_tomgirl_****__**

**_haNg_****_: __well d'uhh! That's the only thing I'm quite interested in... :P n-e-wayz, hows sri aman? Hope life's candy, n say hi to Miriam if _ur___ reading this!_**

**_lina_****_ shay: __it was fast? Oh, sorry! I was quite afraid readers were thinking that too. Anyway, to cover up, lily started spilling out everything coz she can't stand james being so oblivious. She couldn't take it anymore, coz all her emotions haf been bottled up inside her. N finally after james asked her the most OBVIOUS question, she just let it all out. Oh and for the letter, coz she really hadn't meant to send it to him, refer chapter 1! So, yah... that explains it, I hope!! Thanks for the review though, n happy reading!_**

**_Riana-Rin: __Hihi__! ANOTHER Sri Amanian...:D anyway, thanks a LOT for reviewing this n _****Unwanted Affection! I thought no one would read it. Merci for your support! EXTRA scoops on your first turn for you!**

**_Y.Kuang_****_:__ Thank you! Whoa, after seeing the stories you update I'd never thought an author like you would review my story! Thanks again!_**

**_fairypixie_****__**

**_Cedric+Cho_****_=4eva_**

**_Tomoyo_****_ Sakura_**

**_krissy_****__**

**_bebe-chrissy_****__**

**_KeeperOfTheMoon_****__**

**_Moon*wolf: __Hey! Wow! You're the only who noticed! Good job! Actually, I never really thought about that, I guess I'll have to clear that up soon. It was probably a near-full moon. Thanks for telling and keep on reviewing!_**

**_Gwen_**

**_Slinkysly_****_: __Thank you so much for your answers and reply! Do keep on reviewing, I love reading them!_**

**_mmsaidpotterluva_****_: __ohh__ don't u just luuuuuuurv fluff? :) I know I do, occasionally... :P thanks!_**

**_Tiger:__ some-other-wonderful-word-i-don't-know-ly? LoL! Cool! Thanks for that! I haf a nasty cold n that made my day!_**

**_zebragurl_****_:__ lol! Just hope the james potter mob won't go after you! Poor jamesie! Do me a favour, just DON'T beat the daylights out of him. A smack or two is enough. ;) thanks 4 revieiwng!_**

**_Lamina Court:__ WEEEEEEEE! __Ur__ most welcome! Anyway, of course, even I won't say I Love You so fast. Don't worry, u wont need to bitch me out coz I wont haf him mad at her or anything. :D _**

**_citrus_****_ scented: __they HAVE spoken for the past six years, they, well james never really noticed her then. She was quiet, as said herself. They have bumped into each other, and YES, even a "pass the carrots, please". Sorry if I have never mentioned these details! I will in the next chapter, for you! Thanks for liking the concept, I do too! I just LOVE secret admirers... I get all fluffed up whenever I receive any! (n no I haven't received any... :( oh well!) thanks for reviewing again!_**

_-m|rAh_

**_PS: __Have any of you watched _****Matrix: Reloaded? It is SO cool! I squealed every time Keanu Reeves did the whole "superman" thing, LoL. If I'm not mistaken he did it at least 3 to 4 times! Oh, and did I mention? He looks even hotter_ than in _****Matrix! *turns red* Umm... ANYWAY I'm already playing the ps2 game, and it's so CHUN! Now, I have Keanu Reeves as Neo all over my desktop AND screen saver. *swoons* He looks SO cute when he fights the millions of Agent Smiths'!! I just **can't **wait till ****Matrix: Revolutions comes out in November! WOOHOO! Now I'm off to bed to dream about Neo...**

**_PPS: __Thanks LOTS to Jadesfire28, my beta reader, for, well, reading this!_**


	14. Friends Forever EDITED

**_Summary: _**_It all started with a simple love letter, for James Potter, from a lovely admirer. Love letters led to friendships; friendships led to confusion; and finally confusion, slowly led to love. With just three meaningful words, it brought joy to young Potter's heart: Love, An Admirer. _

**_Disclaimer: _**_Anything familiar isn't mine, and unfortunately belongs to the oh-so-brilliant JK Rowling, whom I salute to. Creations of mine are : Piper Valentine, Fiona, Jemima, Emily Hart, Dennis Front, Walter Reese, Winston Reese, Marie Lodge, Yvonne West, Gerald Wills, Kurt Randall, Isabelle Frall, and the Fairy and the portrait societies thingy. _

**_Author's Note (_****_VERYVERYIMPORTANT_****__** _I've been dead.. Dead for so long.. Dead for almost a **year**. _

_I'd like to _**_APOLOGISE PROFUSELY_**_ to all my readers for not updating for such a long time.. I was going to make this a Christmas present but then I decided to not let any of you wait any longer as I've delayed it too long.. I'm also afraid that many of you may have forgotten this story. Oh dear. Oo_

_I've decided to change my mind about the cliffhanger. I'm really sorry, I really am.. I won't be surprised if anyone starts hurling hate mail at me right now. I really think I should end a story – and which one better to end then **this**? The one that started it all. This story is **really **close to my heart, and I don't want to see it abandoned. I am going to take the trouble to re-read each chapter and edit it here and there before making a chapter 15. My finals are over so I've decided to update. I feel sososo **bad **for abandoning – I've lost track with so many of my favourite stories. I just hope that all of you would forgive me, and read a re-written version of Chapter 14. _

_Please leave reviews and tell me what you think – I'll deeply appreciate it. And **Chapter 15 **will be on the way in two weeks, **tops**. I PROMISE. You have no **idea **on how horrible I feel right now making this decision. I just have this strange eerie feeling that if I continue LAA I'll just be dragging it to no where. I'm really sorry for bursting your bubbles and making you anticipate some cliffhanger. Please, bear with me. And while you're at it, do drop by my blog. :) Then you might actually know what's going in my life that wrecked my writing schedule. :S _

_Here - **www**(dot)**xanga**(dot)**com**(slash)**misz**(underscore)**licorice**_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

**Love, An Admirer  
****Chapter 14: Friends Forever (Edited)**

Lily roamed the streets of London, her heart aflutter. She finally stopped outside a shop, which hung a faded sign outside. The sign could be barely be made out, but Lily knew _exactly _what it read - **_Leaky Cauldron_.**

Although Lily worked as a reporter for the _Daily Prophet _she thought living in a Muggle environment would be more convenient. **(ie: electrical appliances)**

'Hullo, Tom!' she greeted cheerfully, as she sat on the high stools by the bar.

The man whom she addressed as Tom, wore a worn apron and began wiping the table top with an old rag. 'Fancy seeing you here, Lily! First time you greeted me in days! You would usually whisk off with that big suit case of yours, just muttering a brisk 'Hi'. What's the occasion?'

'Nothing.' She rested her chin in her hands, and her eyes began roaming all over the bar. 'Can I have a glass of water, Tom? Not really in the mood for drinks. I've gotta watch my weight, or I'll never fit into that dress!'

'What dress?'

Lily squealed. 'Oh, haven't I told _you_?' She was suddenly in a very hyper mood, which was one _not _to be missed. 'Hogwarts is holding a reunion ball in a fortnight! I'm planning on wearing the dress I wore seven years ago; the one _James _bought for me.'

Tom chuckled. '_Seven _years ago? That's quite far back! I'm sure you'll do fine Lily. If it fitted you seven years ago, it'll fit you now. Anything else you want, Lily? It's on the house! Your smile just brightens my day! You were such a pleasant girl ever since you were a little doll.'

Lily looked down, realizing her cheeks were burning. 'Thanks, Tom. That's really nice of you.'

'I even wanted my son to marry you!' He chuckled whole-heartedly. 'Oh well, James Potter is better any day!'

Lily let out a laugh. She suddenly stopped. 'What makes you think I'm marrying James?' She said, eyeing the old man.

Again, he chuckled. 'It's just something people know, fair Lily. You best not be late! You came here to see, er,' Tom paused, and scratched his head. 'What on earth is that girl's name? You know the one who kept hitting Black?' Lily smiled. 'I saw her coming in few minutes ago.'

'Alright then,' Lily said. She got up, and sipped her glass of water. 'Thanks a lot for making my day, Tom.' She kissed Tom on the cheek.

Lily grabbed her purse and left for the alley, where the bricks awaited her wand tap. Doing it as if she was tying her own shoelaces, it opened in a queer way that always marveled Lily, not caring how many times she had done it.

* * *

As soon as she stepped foot into Diagon Alley, she breathed in the fresh scent of the Wizarding World which she loved. She rushed to _Flourish & Blotts _and met Jemima.

'_Jemimaaaaaaaaaa_Lily squealed. She ran towards a girl who looked just as happy, and hugged her tightly.

'Lilkins!' Jemima practically screamed. They both engulfed in a hug, and sat down. They caught up with life, as Jemima had been away for 3 years, as she was accepted into a prestigious university which trained witch doctors. They worked with modern medicine, and not traditional medicine with rituals that involved chants, dancing around a bonfire. (_This disappointed Jemima, though_.)

Fiona soon joined, and the threesome began giggling with insanity, just like they did six years ago.

Fiona too, had attended a university, but instead of medicine, she had ventured into another career, one Lily was quite familiar with. Marine Life, if she wasn't mistaken. Fiona was one who was fascinated by the Mer-people. Well, Mer_men _to be exact. She was immediately attracted to a handsome-looking one in fifth year, when they had a picnic by the lake. He had come up to shore as he was fascinated by the _witches_. There was immediate flirting going on between the two, and Lily laughed, reminiscing the past.

A smile etched onto Lily's face, and she thought it was best to bring it up. 'Fi, remember fifth year?'

Fiona put her cup down. 'Ah, the fond memories. What about it?' Fiona raised an eyebrow.

Lily tried to stifle a giggle. 'Remember Jae?'

Jemima burst into a fit of giggles although Fiona seemed to have forgotten the cheeky handsome merman. She looked lost – and didn't like the feeling of it. 'Jae who?'

'Oh _come on_, Fi! Jae? Jaedifinn? Hot merman? Fifth year?' (a/n: in case you're wonderin, I made the name up. XP it's pronounced –Jay Di Fin)

Fiona's face turned red and she started squealing, '**_JAEDIFINN-Y!_**' Jemima and Lily stared at her, not knowing the merman had such impact on her. Fiona lowered her voice, and began to blush, suddenly remembering who _Jaedfinny_ was. 'I was _fifteen_, Lily. _Fifteen_. People do stupid things at that age. I never really saw him after that, though.' Fiona sighed, and suddenly she brightened. 'But you have _got _to admit – that boy was just **EYE CANDY**!' Fiona squealed in delight.

At that very moment, Jemima kicked Lily in her shins under the table, knowing that Fiona was going to ramble on about Jaedifinn, and never stop till kingdom come. Lily groaned and thought, _Why__ did I even bother?_

* * *

'So, why did you call us to meet you here that was _so _urgent?' Jemima asked, sipping a cup of coffee. It had been an hour since Fiona stopped hyperventilating, and everyone settled down.

Lily's eyes widened. 'OH! I didn't tell you?'

Squeal.

'James-'

**Squeal**_ – Cringe._

'Proposed-'

**Squeal**_ – Cringe._

'To-'

**Squeal**_ – Cringe_

'ME!'

**Squeal. Squeal. Squeal.**

The whole crowd turned to look at them, and with one deathly glare (courtesy of Jemima), they resumed doing whatever they did before they were so _rudely _interrupted.

Jemima, Lily and Fiona hugged each other and Fiona began gushing on what the Maids of Honor should wear.

'I _seriously _think white is better than green.'

Jemima slammed her cup down. 'Oh _come on_, Fi. _Just _because Mandy Foreman had the _same _green robe you wore during the 4th Year Annual Ball ( - and more people commented on hers – ) doesn't mean you have to shun all green gowns.'

Fiona opened and closed her mouth like a fish out of water, not being able to say anything.

Lily sighed. 'It's _just _a wedding, guys. I don't care about the colour of my gown; just as long as it's comfortable I'm happy with it.'

'But think of it _this _way, Lils. Sure green brings out your eyes, but _white _is the symbol of purity. Wouldn't you want James to think that of you?'

Jemima rolled her eyes, sipping her cup of coffee. 'So what are you guys planning to wear for the Reunion Ball?'

'I'm going to wear the same gown James bought for me seven years ago! Remember? The beautiful green robes we saw at Madam Malkins? Well, to _re-live _the past, I thought it'd be best if –' But Lily was cut off before she could even finish the sentence.

'**_AHAH!_** _There_ you go, Fiona! James bought for her the _green _robes; not white! I _told_ you it'd be best for her wedding!' Jemima stood up and began taunting Fiona.

'For the _last _time, **Jemima**, this has _nothing _to do with what _Foreman_ wore! This is about –'

And so the quarrel began. Jemima and Fiona began bickering at one another about _Lily_'s wedding gown yet again. Lily took the time to observe the situation. A smile crept on her face as she realised how much she missed being in Hogwarts, knowing it was safe behind those cold, grey stone walls. She realised how much she missed laughing at the expression on Professor McGonagall's face whenever the Marauders upset her. She realised how much she missed cheering James on during his Quidditch matches. She missed having snow fights with Sirius during her Christmas break. She missed having hot chocolate and study sessions with Remus. She missed playing chess with Peter, and having to lose to him on purpose all the time because he was (unfortunately) a horrible chess player. She missed sneaking off to the Astronomy Tower with James in the middle of the night, and just cuddling under the stars with his invisibility cloak. She missed it. She missed it **all.** But most of all, she missed Hogwarts - and couldn't wait to return behind the grey stone walls.

* * *

****

_**Author's Note: **Chapter 15 will be up in two weeks – **tops**. You have my word. You can come flame me in my blog all you wish if I don't. I'd like to apologize once more for the sucky ending. And since I've been such a horrible person, double scoops of Ben & Jerry's to all of these **wonderful **people._

**Clearbrook, Reader4Life, lil h91, Anarane Anwamane, skyleia, Riana-Rin, singer, Clepsydra, Maigon Jesolite, yoriko, skysong4, mystikalolo, CrystalBallerina, chicanoche401, Lucky-719, Aarien Star, dReaMy B :), kelliethehottie, juliestarr and Taika.**

peace?  
**myrah**


	15. Of Flashbacks and Empty Corridors

**_Summary: _**_It all started with a simple love letter, for James Potter, from a lovely admirer. Love letters led to friendships; friendships led to confusion; and finally confusion, slowly led to love. With just three meaningful words, it brought joy to young Potter's heart: Love, An Admirer._

**_Disclaimer: _**_Anything familiar isn't mine, and unfortunately belongs to the oh-so-brilliant JK Rowling, whom I salute to. Creations of mine are : Piper Valentine, Fiona Caldwell, Jemima Richards, Carisa Emily Hart, Dennis Front, Walter Reese, Winston Reese, Marie Lodge, Yvonne West, Gerald Wills, Kurt Randall, Isabelle Frall, and the Fairy and the portrait society._

**_Note:_**_ I was FORMERLY mIz jAdEd – I am now amynixx. :) Also, leave your e-mail if you want to be notified about the next chapter!_

**Love, An Admirer**

**Chapter 15: Of Flashbacks and Empty Corridors**

Stepping very carefully into the majestic Hogwarts Express, Lily Evans took in a deep breath, not knowing what to expect in the next few days. Having accepted the invitation to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry's Class of '71's Reunion Ball to be held later on that day, Lily was about to see faces; familiar faces whom she has never seen for more than six years. Faces whom belonged to friends she had failed to keep in touch with, but now given the opportunity to rekindle what was lost.

'Merlin's beard, is that _you, _Lily?' came a voice from the comparment behind her.

Lily's head whipped around and she saw a tall ruddy-faced man with a dowdy brown beard, smiling down on her. It was none other than -

'Well if it isn't _Amos Diggory!_' Lily grinned widely, not being able to contain her excitement in meeting old friends.

Amos beckoned her into his compartment and there she met three other familiar faces – Emily Hart, Dennis Front and Jeremy Atkins and one foreign. Lily shook hands with everyone and when she came to the blonde lady Amos cleared his throat.

'Lily, meet Eleanor Diggory, my wife,' announced Amos, beaming proudly. 'Met her on holiday when I was in Bath! Lucky thing she was a witch too, aye?'

'Well congratulations Eleanor!' Lily shook Eleanor's hands even more merrily.

'Thank you, Lily,' Eleanor replied softly, smiling shyly.

'Lily here had the hots for me back when we were thirteen! Ey, Lily?' Amos nudged Lily and gave her a wink.

'You _knew_!' Lily gasped, blushing furiously.

'Well of course I did! Your friends weren't exactly subtle when teasing you, were they? But not to worry, pet,' Amos continued, facing Eleanor. 'Our Lily here's getting engaged!'

With this, all three guests started buzzing at once demanding all the details to quench their thirst of Hogwarts Gossip – something they had been lack of ever since they graduated.

* * *

The journey to Hogwarts was undoubtedly eventful, with games of Exploding Snap, Spin the Goblet, Truth or Hex, and even a round of good ol' Wizard's Chess. One who'd stumble upon the honoured guests of Albus Dumbledore would not have guessed that they were adults with professional careers who were simply reliving childhood.

Extracts of memories from the past were often brought up, and they usually ended with a trail of laughter.

'AHAH! I _knew_ you snogged Fredek Lorencz before the Durmstrang match in 7th Year!' boomed Dennis, pointing accusingly at Emily.

She seemed to have been akin with a beetroot and mumbled, 'So what if I did?'

'_SO WHAT IF YOU DID?_ Hogwarts nearly _lost_ because of you. The whole world knows how much Christopher Parkinson was helplessly in love with you. And since Fredek was the seeker, Christopher was so furious when he saw you winking at him from the stands that he aimed at least SEVEN of his bludgers towards him that even Madam Hooch called it a foul. Thank Merlin James talked some sense into him, or we would have lost one of our beaters!'

'I was never a property of Parkinson. I may kiss whomever I please and he shouldn't care because I told him time after time and again that I did not want to court him!' huffed Emily.

Lily bellowed in laughter knowing all too well what happened the day Durmstrang and Hogwarts played a friendly Quidditch match. Drama, drama, drama...

_ 'James, I really don't like the looks of the weather...' mumbled a seventeen year old Lily, helping James Potter into his quidditch uniform._

_ James rolled his eyes and muttered "Impervius" to make sure his glasses repelled water when flying in the rain._

_ 'Lily pet, it's only a little rain –'_

_ A thundering boom was heard._

_ ' – and mild thunder –'_

_ White light flashed from underneath the tent._

_ ' – and maybe brief lightning...'_

_ Lily finished buttoning Harry's cloak and looked into his face sternly. 'Honestly, James, it's only a friendly match... Why can't they wait?'_

_ 'The 'Strang Pansies have to leave tomorrow morning because their First Years need to use the ship for some field trip later on. If you ask me, I think they are all just here to show off and make us look bad,' James muttered, but smiled quickly. 'Besides, a little challenge won't hurt?' James winked at Lily, hoping to make her smile._

_ Lily rolled her eyes. 'For one, they aren't pansies, James, honestly! And not every one of them are snooty; I've gotten to know one personally and he's rather charming!'_

_ 'If he ever dares to lay one finger on you, Lily, I swear I'll wring his –'_

_ 'I'm Head Girl, James? It is my duty to make them feel at home during their stay, since our ever so "responsible" Head Boy is far too busy playing Quidditch to carry out his prefect duties. Besides, you know I'm far too smitten with you,' Lily finished charming his waterproof cloak and planted a kiss on his cheek._

_ 'Well, don't I know it?' James smiled and tickled her sides and Lily squealed trying to get free of his grasp and they both tripped over the bench, letting out hearty guffaws._

_ 'Ahem,' came a disgruntled cough from behind._

_ Lily and James stood abruptly and faced a rather stern-looking Minerva McGonagall._

_ 'The last thing I'd want to do is inform our headmaster that our Head Prefects are too busy fraternizing to welcome Durmstrang's Headmaster.'_

_ 'Y-yes, professor. I'm on my way,' stuttered a pink Lily. She mumbled, 'Good luck, James,' and left the tent abruptly, not realizing James charmed a note on to the palm of her hand._

'Lily, you're turning red!' exclaimed Amos.

Lily shook her head, leaving the flashback and touched her cheeks, giggling nervously. 'It may be a little chilly in here.'

'Anyway, as I was saying, it's your turn, Lily. Truth or Hex?' Amos began.

'Truth.'

'Very well then... How long did you fancy me?' Amos wiggled his eyebrow suggestively and Eleanor smacked him.

Once again, everyone started commenting at the same time not caring the racket they were causing – Jeremy and Dennis demanding less "wimpy" questions, Emily and Lily concluding rather frustratingly that they were fed-up with questions about _Amos, _Amos fending off "attacks" and sheepish Eleanor observing from afar.

She chuckled to herself completely forgetting that these "teenagers" were actually mature adults.

* * *

'The feast is going to be marvelous – just you wait!' Amos announced, dragging his suitcase and tugging Eleanor along with him.

The train had halted, and slowly everyone began getting off, waving at each familiar face they had failed to see on board. Hugs, blowing kisses, handshakes, and every form of affection was seen on the platform as the guests were mingling with one another.

'Alrigh', alrigh'!' boomed a scratchy voice and everyone stopped in their tracks, became silent and looked up to the tall silhouette lit by the lamp posts aligning the platform. 'All o' yer may have left Hogwerts a long time ago, but as long as yer under _my_ wing – as appointed by Mr Dumbledore 'imself – yer going to be ridin' the boats 'cross the Lake once more!'

A sea of giggling whispers were heard and almost everyone rejoiced. The last time they crossed the Lake, they were all eleven – scared, excited and new to Hogwarts.

'Righ' then – follow me! Mind yer step now!'

Everyone followed Hagrid down a narrow path, and soon came to the edge of a great black lake. It was as if they were going to Hogwarts for the first time all over again...

'Now, since yer all bigger than firsties, yer will have to sit two-by-two in the boats – and no more!' Hagrid instructed.

Lily managed to squeeze through the crowd and finally met with Hagrid's waist and tugged on his coat.

'Now as I was sayin' – ' Hagrid's thundering voice suddenly softened and he looked down. 'Well, hullo there Lily!'

'Good to see you, Hagrid!' Lily beamed.

'Funny seein' yer here – yer other friends are already in the castle. Those two girls seemed to have lost track o' time and missed the train so they used their own transport!' Hagrid scratched his unruly beard.

'Very typical of Jemima and Fi!' Lily laughed. 'Alright then, I'll see you in the hall, then!'

Lily made her way through the crowd once again and found Emily and both of them sat in a boat and with Hagrid's command, all the boats moved off all at once and glided across the smooth lake. As soon as Hogwarts came into view, everyone cheered at the pleasant sight. Hagrid didn't even bother warning them about disturbing the Giant Squid, knowing how they were all yearning to return behind the cold grey stone walls.

* * *

'I've spoken to Professor McGonagall, and she has agreed for you to bunk with us!' Emily said, smiling at Eleanor.

'Thank you all, really. I know I shouldn't be here since this is _your_ reunion and everything –'

'Oh, nonsense! I bet there'll be others who have brought their spouses to show 'em off, ey?' Lily winked.

'Now if you'll excuse me, girls, I've got to go look for our other two roomies who just happened to be missing!' Lily waved goodbye to Emily and Eleanor and set off to find Jemima and Fiona.

Knowing that they'd probably be in the Hall with the others, she pushed the oak doors of the Great Hall and rushed towards the sea of guests who seemed to have been fascinated with something, or some.

' – now as I was saying, a starfish is one of the most fascinating sea creatures that we seemed to have ignored, what with lochness and mer-people. Do you know that starfish are enchanted with self-healing powers? Yes, yes, amazing, isn't it? We are still conducting extensive research to find out how, but foolish Muggle scientists somehow found out about the enchantment and called it _regeneration_, or something like that! They are obviously oblivious to the magic present in these beautiful creatures. But then again, this _is _coming from the ones who thought mer-people were beautiful humans with lower bodies of a fish! But anyway, I – _Lily!_ There you are, flower!'

Fiona who was clearly explaining to everyone about her Marine studies, had not realized the crowd she had pulled and simply pushed through everyone to see her best friend. They embraced and Lily pulled back.

'Where's Jemima, Sirius and Remus? I didn't see any of you four on train and I – ' Lily began but was cut off by a blood-curling scream.

'_SIRIUS ALPHARD BLACK!' _

Suddenly, everyone was silent and diverted their attention to a fuming Jemima Richards with green hair, who did not seem like a person anybody would want to mess with.

The Great Hall doors suddenly swung open but nobody emerged and Jemima began marching towards it and the hall erupted in laughter knowing a Hogwarts reunion would not be complete without a brawl between Sirius and Jemima.

* * *

'I'm counting to three, Black, and if you do _not_ show your stupid face I am going to Hex you to the Himalayas!' Jemima threatened, pacing up and down the corridor of empty classrooms. Having followed the trail of a black dog into the corridor, Jemima had her wand at hand.

'_One –' _ Jemima peeped into the first empty classroom.

'_Two –' _No sign of Sirius.

And suddenly a hand came out from behind and clamped Jemima's mouth shut. Jemima muffled a scream but stopped struggling recognizing all too well of Sirius' warm big hands.

Sirius spun her around and Jemima began rattling on about how she was going to make him suffer, die and pay for what he did to her.

'You're a prat, Black. A stupid inconsiderate prick! I am, without a doubt, FURIOUS at you for _embarrassing_ me in front of all our friends with GREEN hair because everyone knows how that colour does NOT compliment my skin at _all_ and – '

Sirius rolled his eyes knowing Jemima's tell-off speeches by heart and muttered "Silencio" and pointed his want to Jemima. Suddenly, no noise whatsoever came out from Jemima and only her mouth seemed to be moving. Realizing she had been silenced, she began to lift her arms in order to strangle Sirius but he held her down and laughed.

'Look, Jem. We both know how I broke Hogwart's Beater record of fastest swing in 7th Year and that you are never going to be able to beat me to pulp, so just stop it, okay?'

Jemima sighed and didn't bother correcting him.

'The only reason I did what I did was to have you all by myself because I knew you were going to chase me,' Sirius continued but abruptly continued when Jemima's eyes were as huge as saucers, 'I am _not_ going to do anything stupid to you, Jem, honestly! What do you take me for?'

Jemima simply smiled weakly.

'Now if you would stay still, I would gladly remove the Silencing Charm on one condition that you would _please_ stop talking!

Jemima looked at Sirius feeling rather offended but nodded.

'Wonderful,' Sirius grinned, and removed the Silencing Charm.

As soon as Jemima regained her ability to speak, she snatched Sirius' wand and did not stick to her word and continued lecturing him. 'If you _ever_ attempt a silencing charm on me again I'm going to – '

With this, Sirius knew what to do and cut her off, silencing her with a kiss. A kiss so warm that Jemima's knees gave way, and luckily for her, she had Sirius to keep her from sinking into the ground.

After what seemed like eternity, Jemima pulled back slowly and blinked, digesting what had happened.

'And don't be stupid, Richards. You're beautiful regardless of the colour of your hair,' Sirius whispered softly.

'H-how _dare_ you kiss me! I – I –' Jemima sputtered. She was lost for words and was simply staring into Sirius' warm mischievous eyes, knowing that she _should_ have just kept her trap shut.

'_Oh sod it!_' Jemima exclaimed and leaped into his arms, kissing him once more. Jemima didn't care that Sirius had been playing innocent pranks on her ever since Hogwarts; didn't care that her green hair was now glowing purple; didn't care that she hated Sirius' guts; didn't care that she might secretly even like him; didn't even care that Sirius might never let her live this down post-kiss.

* * *

**_Author's Note: _**_I know most of you would have known Sirius and Jemima would get together. :) Don't you worry because Remus and James would appear in the next chapter! If there are any glitches in this chapter (I have no time to proof-read this, unfortunately) or any questions, place them in reviews! Btw, I was formerly mIz jAdEd._

**_Excerpt of apology e-mail:_**

_I am a hypocrite. I am not a woman of my word. :( It has been nearly a YEAR since I last promised to update in TWO WEEKS and look wtf happened? I'm never, ever, ever going to promise updates again because look what happened. I bet most of my readers would have forgotten about this as it has been untouched for quite some time. Even _I_ nearly forgot about this, until I received a review from **it's a spoon **__just a few days ago. He made me realize what I had missed. I admit, I myself have not been writing for quite some time... Reality caught up and I just lost interest in pursuing anything that had to do with creative writing. Recent events and even Harry Potter anticipation made me rethink everything. I may be running away from the topic, but I'd just like to apologize once again to **everyone**__. I bet most of you are tired of waiting and reading my apologies so I hope I don't cause any more inconveniences in the future. I had planned on finishing this before the release of Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix so that it wouldn't clash with what JK Rowling has revealed about what really happened between Lily and James but since Half-Blood Prince (which I thought was bloody brilliant) it's pretty late, so I just hope you'd enjoy the last few chapters of this story as it is._

_However, I have to admit I have matured quite a bit in my style of writing, and have had much fun writing this one. I know most of you wouldn't trust me with my promises of updates (:p) so I'm not going to promise anything, but just say that there **might**__ be an update three weeks from now. Quite frankly, I wasn't supposed to be even writing this as I am currently preparing for a public examination (all 15 year olds across the nation – Malaysia – will be sitting for it) which I will be sitting for on October 3rd, and my last paper is on October 13th, so expect an update after that. :) I wasn't planning on writing this today, in fact I wasn't even planning on updating this for a very long time but my most recent review struck a chord and I guess it was all spontaneous. I even _forgot_ a few details and had to reread previous chapters to refresh my memory. _

_In fact, this is one of my longest chapters, and you deserved it because of my one-year hiatus. I feel silly for neglecting this because I have once discovered the fun and thrill I had once felt out of writing fanfiction. This Author's Note is getting pretty mundane, so I shall not bore you any longer._

_Do leave a review – blast me all you want, as I deserve it. ;) Do not hesitate to tell me whether my writing has improved or deteriorated, or that I have had my facts wrong. (ie: Cedric's mother, Sirius' middle name) _

_Toodles,_

_Amirah Anis_

**_Thanks to: _**

_xPussyWillowKittenx, Funnyness9, Tiger Lily21, Kat44, tommygirlcat03, IAMSOAP, Alandra Jade Heart, Amber24, Beyond-The-Veil, Monkey is cute, Traveler of the World, skyleia, Flame of Desire, LilMizHeartbreaker, sftballchamp2004, She-Whom-Must-Not-Be-Named, hazeled eyed marauder, Red-Emerald and its a spoon._


	16. Bona Fide Rarity

**_Summary: _**_It all started with a simple love letter, for James Potter, from a lovely admirer. Love letters led to friendships; friendships led to confusion; and finally confusion, slowly led to love. With just three meaningful words, it brought joy to young Potter's heart: Love, An Admirer._

**_Disclaimer: _**_Anything familiar isn't mine, and unfortunately belongs to the oh-so-brilliant JK Rowling, whom I salute to. Creations of mine are : Piper Valentine, Fiona Caldwell, Jemima Richards, Carissa Andrews, Emily Hart, Dennis Front, Walter Reese, Winston Reese, Marie Lodge, Yvonne West, Gerald Wills, Kurt Randall, Isabelle Frall, and the Fairy and the portrait society._

_**Reminder: **Full italics are flashbacks._

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_

**Love, An Admirer**

**Chapter 16: Bona Fide Rarity**

Lily was fidgeting in her seat. She couldn't sit still, and she didn't like it one bit. The Hogwarts Clock Tower chimed and she turned her head to sneak a glance at the time. She bit her lip nervously, wondering why time was passing so slowly. The crowd next to her erupted in laughter, and not wanting to feel left out, she laughed along - not very convincingly, if you ask me.

She was in a world of her own, and did not seem to be aware of her surroundings. For one, Sirius and Jemima had mysteriously disappeared ever since the outburst that caused a ruckus quite a while ago. It had even reached the point where Peter Pettigrew piped, "Maybe Sirius apparated and Jemima wanted to track him down to circumcise him!" which resulted a very haughty Emily to fire back, "_How many times must I remind everyone to read 'Hogwarts, A History'!"_

Secondly, the teachers – who weren't exactly old and grey as predicted by Amos – had begun filing into the hall to catch up with old students to find out who's-doing-what and who-ended-up-with-who. Professor Flitwick hadn't grown an inch – this time, pointed out by Dennis Front. Madam Hooch was still a hardcore Chudley Channons fan, through and through – which disappointed Gerald Wills.

Everyone was equally excited to see Professor Dumbledore again, and speech bubbles like "_I wonder whether his beard is another shade of grey this year" _and "_What do you think he's giving us? Graduates last year were given free trips to France!" _floated around the hall.

'What's clouding your mind, Lily?' said a voice from behind.

Lily was shaken from her reverie and whipped her head around instantly. Her eyes began to twinkle and she squealed, '_Remmy!_'. She engulfed the pale man in a warm hug and ushered him to sit in the empty seat on her right. Sandy-haired Remus Lupin did not hesitate to do so.

She observed one of her most cherished friends and smiled fondly. Remus was the one who calmed her nerves when rumors were spreading that James Potter was seen canoodling with Regina Brown. Remus was the one who helped Lily pick out the perfect Christmas gift for James in seventh year. Remus was also the one who led James to Lily on the night of the Yule Ball in sixth year, too, ironically. (James gave this piece of information, of course)

'It was the time of the month last week... How are you, Remus?' Lily looked at Remus, her eyes filled with concern.

Remus played with his food. 'It was alright, I guess,' he said quietly. 'I'm pretty used to it by now, Lily. No need for your concern,' Remus managed cheerfully. 'Besides, I'm still taking the potion Professor Dumbledore prescribed to me when we left Hogwarts. It's a little heavy on the galleon pouch, but it's all worth it. I'd mix my own, but you of all people should know for a fact that I didn't exactly ace Potions,' Remus said nervously.

'_Do_ I?' Lily teased.

_Seventeen-year-old Remus Lupin bit his lip in confusion, not knowing what to do. Beads of perspiration formed on his forehead and were trickling down his face. He was currently mixing a potion, which was going to determine his NEWTs grade. His absence due to his "frequent visits to his mother" resulted in him knowing absolutely nothing about the Wibbygib Potion they were asked to prepare. _

_ He turned to his right, and saw the confident Lily Evans cutting her ingredients carefully and casually mixing the juice in the bubbling cauldron. On his far left, however, Remus saw James and Sirius deep in concentration – a first - as they had made it a point to pay attention. The failures of this potion could cost their NEWT grade, and they were keen on becoming aurors._

_ The preparation of a Wibbygib Potion wasn't easy – in fact, in involved the most trivial steps. If any unnecessary ingredient was added – an extra dragonfly wing for example – it could backfire immediately. Even the mixing procedures were crucial, and one extra clockwise turn could ruin everything. Remus was carefully reading his textbook, but the tips provided didn't help the slightest bit. _

_ 'Lily,' Remus whispered, 'How many hooves do I add?'_

_ 'Well in order for it to turn –' But before Lily could reveal the desiered amount, Professor Kirnoff cut them off._

_'MS EVANS! I would classify whispering as cheating. Since you are a grade A student, I would pass this off, but ten points off Gryffindor for attempting. Get back to your work, Mr Lupin,' Professor Kirnoff barked._

_Lily bit her lip, and mumbled, 'Sorry, professor,' and mouthed an apology to Remus, knowing all too well of his "condition". _

_Remus mumbled a reply, but sighed in frustration. Pushing his luck, he turned to his left to seek the one half of the Marauders' help._

_ 'James,' he whispered. 'Padfoot!' he tried again. They were too far away to hear his plea. The cauldron on his immediate left, however, unfortunately belonged to greasy Severus Snape. _

_ 'What's the matter, Lupin?' sneered Severus. 'Found yourself in a pickle?' He cackled._

_ Remus ignored his taunts and concentrated on scraping a pass for Potions. He had no idea what he was doing, and by this rate, he was probably going to fail. Just as he was wallowing in his misery, Professor Kirnoff, their Potions Master, was doing his rounds and was a cauldron away. _

_ 'Ah, Mr Snape. Your potion's very impressive. You have truly outdone yourself – no one else would have thought of using an octopus' brain. You are without a doubt getting an A on this one,' Professor Kirnoff praised. He moved on to Remus' cauldron. 'Well, well well, Mr Lupin. It seems as if you're having trouble with this task?' he asked. 'Your presence in this class alone surprises me,' he continued, and began inspecting Lily's concoction._

_ Thinking he was bound to lose anyway, Remus did the irrational – he dumped all the ingredients into the cauldron without skinning the rabbit's foot, washing the snake's tail or cutting up the cypress roots. Ever so slowly, the mixture began bubbling angrily and spitting hot foam everywhere. The cauldron was shaking vigorously, and Remus gulped, wondering what apocalypse he had just unleashed._

_ Professor Kirnoff from the other side of the room glided all the way to Remus' cauldron and shouted, 'EVERYONE EVACUTE THE DUNGEONS, IMMEDIATELY! I REPEAT, LEAVE YOUR CAULDRONS AND EVACUATE THE DUNGEONS, IMMEDIATELY!'_

_ The uproar in the dungeons was deafening as girls began screaming. Everyone began filing out of the dungeons, pushing anyone in their way. Remus turned a shade paler and began apologizing profusely at the Potions Master, while he was relentlessly shouting jinxes to put out the mess Remus had created._

_ 'OUT, LUPIN! OUT! I WILL HANDLE THIS!' Professor Kirnoff barked, pushing Remus out of the way. 'NOW GET OUT BEFORE I REMOVE 100 POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR!' _

_ Not wanting to upset the Potions Master, Remus left the dungeons immediately, regretting what he had done. Seconds after he left, Remus heard a loud explosion and his eyes widened. A few moments later, he heard ka-PLAT and he shut his eyes tight._

_ The door swung open, and the whole class stepped back, leaving a defenseless Remus in the front-line. He gulped, and prepared himself for what was to come. Out stepped Professor Kirnoff, drenched in green slim from head to toe. _

_ 'You,' Professor Krinoff sneered, through gritted teeth. He pointed at Remus with a slime-coated finger. 'Headmaster's office – NOW.'_

_ 'I'd just like to apologise, Professor, I didn't mean to –'_

_ 'NOW!' Professor Kirnoff boomed._

_ Remus hung his head and proceeded to Professor Dumbledore's office and the class cheered, thinking it was some sort of prank but they were soon silenced by Professor Kirnoff upon the threat of removing five points off every student, regardless of the house._

'I can still smell the slime from the dungeons, Remmy!' Lily laughed. 'I still can't believe you mixed all the ingredients at once, without even preparing them!'

'I was desperate, Lily,' Remus said, sheepishly. 'And you know I'm hopeless in Potions. I was surprised myself when I passed my OWLs.'

Lily couldn't help but contain her grin. Everything was coming back; stories were being retold, experiences were being shared again, and flashbacks were occurring ever so frequently.

'Anyway, Lils. I promised I'd help Peter with... stuff... so I'll see you later, okay? Say hi to your family... and James,' Remus finished, with a smirk.

'REMUS!' Lily squealed. Before she could say anything else, he had disappeared, and Lily was left all alone, once again.She turned her head to catch a glimpse of the clock. Her heightened anticipation was replaced with content when she realized that both the minute and hour hands were pointing at 6.

In exactly thirty minutes, Lily was going to the Hidden Room for the first time in six years. She was going to see James for the first time in four months – too long a time to be separated from a lover. It had been too long since he had twirled her loose strands of hair. It had been too long since he had given her butterfly kisses. It had been too long since she had felt warm and secure in his warm embrace. It had been too long since she had felt his _touch_.

Not wanting to be over-excited, she sipped her goblet of pumpkin juice, and neatly dabbed the corners of her mouth with her napkin. She turned to her left and was about to ask Jemima when the Ball was going to start and was surprised to see her empty seat. Lily tapped Fiona, who was sitting across her, on her shoulder and whispered, 'Hey, have you seen Jem?'

Fiona creased her eyebrows and replied, 'Come to think of it...' She took a look around the hall and continued, 'I haven't. Pity Sirius, though. She was last seen storming out of the hall, looking ready to skin him alive. Did you _see_ the shade of her hair? It was as if she was a leprecauhn, or something. For all we know, she might be drowning him in the lake or something, teehee. Remember the last time that happened?'

Lily giggled remembering what had happened the night Sirius enchanted Jemima's skin to glow bright pink whenever Sirius was around to "prove that Jemima had the hots for Sirius Black".

_ The birds were chirping, the sun was smiling, and the clouds were rolling; it was definitely a perfect day for a stroll on the Hogwarts' Grounds. Lily, Jemima and Fiona thought fresh air would help circulate their blood flow ever since they witnessed the horrifyingly graphic image of Severus Snape in boxers._

_ Fiona hugged herself tightly, shivering, and began mumbling to herself._

_ Jemima stared at her and said, 'Are you chilly? The last time I checked, the sun was scorching!'_

_ 'It's not the weather, Jem, it's the image of Snape stripped to his boxers!' Fiona cried._

_ Jemima groaned and buried her face in her hands and Lily laughed out heartily._

_ 'I was lucky enough to have been in the infirmary. The nasty headache wasn't a curse, after all!' Lily bellowed._

_ Jemima tried to bite back her smile but whispered, 'You have to admit, Fi, it _was_ funny.'_

_ Fiona glared at both Lily and Jemima and quipped, 'Yea, funny in a sick and twisted way!'_

_ They had stopped by the lake and sat on the soft grass, the wind blowing in their hair. Lily and Jemima continued laughing and saw a figure running towards them from a distance. It was unmistakably –_

_ 'Black,' Jemima gritted._

_ 'Oh come on, Jem. Remus is off sick, Peter has detention, and James is at the pitch. What's wrong if he wants our company?' Lily reasoned._

_ Jemima folded her arms and continued to mutter to herself._

_ Sirius Black halted and rested his palms on his knees and slouched. 'Been looking for you everywhere, Jem, my love! Couldn't stay away from you,' Sirius finished with a wink._

_ Jemima groaned in frustration and pushed Sirius to Lily. 'You deal with him, Lils.'_

_ Lily rolled her eyes at the grinning Sirius and continued. 'Anyway, as I was saying, I was thinking of applying for a job at the Prophet after we leave because you know –' And suddenly, Lily stopped mid-sentence. She stared at Jemima and inched closer towards her to get a better view of what seemed to be puzzling her._

_ 'I know I have freckles, Lily, you don't have to point it out,' Jemima rolled her eyes and continued skipping pebbles on the lake._

_'T-that's not it, Jem... You're turning pink!' Lily said, not knowing whether to phrase it as a question or a statement._

_ Jemima looked at her weirdly and retorted, 'The last time I blushed was in second year when Professor Dumbledore announced out loud in breakfast that my mum requested my presence at home immediately. You for one know that I _don't_ blush_.'

_'N-no, Jem!' Fiona sputtered. 'You're not blushing... you're turning into the ungodly shade of pink again!' _

_ Jemima narrowed her eyes at them and scowled at Sirius who seemed to be drowning in a giggle of fits. She muttered a spell, which conjured a mirror and looked into it and did not like what she saw. Instead of her milky pale skin, she was – _

_'I'm PINK AGAIN!' Jemima screeched. 'And it's even WORSE. I'm sun burnt pink – I'm paper hearts pink! Piglet pink! GIRLY PINK!' She let out a bloodcurdling scream and the lake rippled. Jemima began touching her cheeks wondering whether the face cream she applied earlier this morning had expired._

_Sirius smirked and commented, 'My patience has finally paid off – you DO fancy me!'_

_Jemima glared at him, but the look of horror returned to her eyes. 'This isn't funny, Black!' she spat. 'It isn't normal for people to turn pink! _

_Fiona looked from Sirius to Jemima and back again, and suddenly came up with the most ludicrous observation. 'This may sound silly, Jem, but this is the fifth time you're turning pink today, and it's usually when Sirius is around...'_

_ Sirius immediately stopped laughing. _

_ 'Are you trying to imply that I like Black?' Jemima retorted, her hands on her hips._

_ 'No, not really,' Fiona seemed in deep thought. 'It's just that, you turned pink at breakfast when Sirius took a seat across from you. And then, you turned pink again during Potions when he sat next to you. The third time you turned pink, you were nearly strangling him for stealing your treacle tart. Can you see where I'm heading?'_

_ 'Yeah, the loony bin!' Jemima replied sarcastically._

_ Lily began observing them and said, 'Fiona is right you know...'_

_ Fiona rolled her eyes. 'I may not be the brightest of you lot, but I'm definitely observant and –' _

_ Fiona was cut off by giggles coming from the most unbelievable source – Sirius Black._

_ 'What are you laughing about, you prat?' Jemima demanded._

_ 'N-nothing,' Sirius managed._

_ Jemima turned to face him and her eyes turned to slits. She started edging closer towards him. _

_ 'Don't make me scratch your eyes out, Black,' Jemima threatened._

_ Sirius looked horrified for a second, but visibly relaxed. 'I-It's just that... Well, I've been waiting for you to figure it out...'_

_ 'Figure what out?' Jemima asked._

_ 'You know, why you're turning pink all the time...' Sirius said. 'Around me,' he managed to finish._

_ Jemima cornered him at a tree and scowled, 'YOU DO HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS,' Jemima fumed. 'Now my offer still stands – do I have to gouge your eyes out, or do you tell me what the HELL is going on?'_

_ 'Well, I thought it'd be funny, to, you know...' Sirius took in a deep breath. 'Makeyourturnpinkaroundmetoconvinceyouthatyoudohaveextrafeelingsforme!' Sirius blurted out._

_ As soon as Jemima was able to make out the incoherent phrase Sirius had said, her eyes widened and before you could even say 'Ancient Runes!' Jemima was dragging Sirius by the ear towards the lake._

_ 'Ow ow ow ow ow!' Sirius wailed._

_ Once they were at the edge of the lake, Jemima abruptly came to a stop. 'Do you know how embarrassing it was for me to speak to Russell Isaacs without realizing OOPS I've turned pink!' she hissed. 'He was THIS close to inviting me to Hogsmeade!' _

_ At the mention of Russell, Sirius bolted upright and said, 'Now look, _I'm _supposed to take you to Hogsmeade!'_

_ 'SHUT UP, BLACK,' Jemima demanded._

_ Sirius cowered and mumbled to himself. _

_ Jemima was about to release her clutch of his collar, but tightened her grip. 'What did you say, Black?'_

_ Sirius smiled sheepishly and said, 'At least now I'll have you all to myself.'_

_ 'ARGH!' Jemima screamed in frustration, and began drowning Sirius' head underwater as bubbles resurfaced._

_ Lily and Fiona tried helplessly to save Sirius from dying but nothing stood in between Jemima and redemption._

'...oh and did you remember when Sirius faked his death!' Fiona began laughing hysterically.

No noise escaped Lily's lips but she was clutching her stomach and her face turned red. 'Well, _obviously_! I can still vividly remember how white Jemima's face was when she thought Sirius _really_ drowned.'

'If I'm not mistaken, Jemima was even prepared to resuscitate him. And just as she was leaning in to give him CPR, _he seized the opportunity to kiss her_!' Fiona erupted in laughter.

'Ahhh... I can still picture Sirius choking when Jemima began strangling him,' Lily wiped her eyes dry. 'Good times, good times.'

Fiona smiled wryly and said, 'Has it really been that long, Lils?'

'I'm afraid so, Fi,' Lily smiled faintly. 'It's amazing how these memories are still fresh in mind. I can still remember the time...' Lily's eyes widened. '_TIME!_' She looked around frantically and asked, 'What time is it, Fi?'

'It's only a quarter to seven. The ball doesn't start in another hour!' Fiona responded.

'Oh crimeney, I'm late!' Lily wailed.

'Ohh... It's the meeting with loverboy, isn't it?' Fiona nudged Lily, winking. 'I haven't seen him in ages, you'd better go then, pet! Wouldn't want to be late, now would you?'

Lily blushed and grabbed her purse. She rushed to the dormitories prepared specially for the Headmaster's honored guests and hastily changed into the gown she had worn seven years ago to a night similar to this. It was remarkable how magic and pins helped her squeeze in and yet she still managed to look fabulous.

She waved her wand and make-up began applying itself and with another twirl of the magic stick, her hair was setting itself to a pretty little bun on the top of her hand, and wisps of hair magically fell into place. She glanced at the clock in the dormitory and cursed inwardly. It was already 7 and she wasn't ready.

Just as she was ready to leave the room, she dived into her suitcase to locate the engagement ring James had given to her and carefully slipped it onto her ring finger and kissed the gemstone crowned on it. Lily carefully picked up her dress, and ran as fast as her tiny feet could take her. For a moment, Lily felt as if she was Cinderella, but instead of running away from her Prince Charming, she was running into his open arms.

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Author's Note: _**_As promised, a new chapter! The title of this chapter has nothing to do with the content – in fact, it's a line from one of my favourite Incubus songs – Southern Girl. I had no clue what to put, so yea, go figure. :p I didn't get that many reviews for the previous chapter, and I really don't blame any of you. :p It was my fault after all for being gone for a very long time, heh. I just hope this time, many of you do leave a review, because it is your encouraging comments that keep me writing. I know James isn't here, and there's even more Sirius/Jemima, but everything else will be in the next chapter. Even the Remus bit was last minute, seeing how I promised to mention him in this chapter. _

_Depending on how things go, I might finally introduce James in the next chapter, or I might elaborate more on Remus. I think Sirius/Jemima has hogged the limelight for quite some time. What do you think? If you have any requests, do not hesitate to include them in your reviews, and I shall try my best to answer every one of them._

_Do point out any grammatical/spelling/technical errors if you spot any, as I don't have enough time to proofread this._

_Also, happy fasting to all the Muslims in this holy month of Ramadhan around the world:)_

_Much love,_

_Amirah._

**_Thanks to:_**_ Iona, LilMzHeartbreaker, alie, __FuNnY cIdE, mystikalolo, june, JillZee, WhiteLiliesWithAScar, starlover88 and anonymous._

_PS: I just noticed the Harry/James error in Chapter 15. Silly me:P_


	17. A Werewolf's Lament

_**Summary: **It all started with a simple love letter, for James Potter, from a lovely admirer. Love letters led to friendships; friendships led to confusion; and finally confusion, slowly led to love. With just three meaningful words, it brought joy to young Potter's heart: Love, An Admirer._

_**Disclaimer: **Anything familiar isn't mine, and unfortunately belongs to the oh-so-brilliant JK Rowling, whom I salute to. Creations of mine are : Piper Valentine, Fiona Caldwell, Jemima Richards, Carissa Andrews, Emily Hart, Dennis Front, Walter Reese, Winston Reese, Marie Lodge, Yvonne West, Gerald Wills, Kurt Randall, Isabelle Frall, and the Fairy and the portrait society._

_**Author's Note: **This is in Remus' POV. My first ever attempt. I've never even tried Sirius or the girls' before. Hope I've managed to pull it off well. :) This chapter was written based on JK Rowling interviews._

**Love, An Admirer**

**Chapter 17: A Werewolf's Lament**

Ever since I was bitten by Greyback in my younger days, I was "blessed" with animal instincts to accompany the horrifying transformation I had to undergo every full moon. For example, I could smell suspicion a mile away and could usually tell when Sirius was slipping a dung beetle into my soup. Or, I could sense fear in people, which in times proved handy. Regardless to that, however, having experienced trauma as a child, possessing these "instincts" never helped me, I guess you could say, _fully_ embrace childhood unlike my friends James, Sirius and Peter.

A decade or so later, I had gotten used to the fact that I would face difficulty being accepted by society seeing my condition which folk tales have made seem vicious. I won't argue with the fact that some of us... _disabled_ wizards do not exactly possess a sweet disposition but there is the lot of us who are, well, just trying to fit in. I had this "furry little problem" (as how James likes to put it) as long as I can remember and I needed to be isolated in fear of "harming" other children. My parents of all people understood how incapable I was of inflicting pain of any sort towards anything else but they thought it was best I didn't come in contact with anyone outside while they went around all of Britain in search of a cure.

They were well aware of how prejudiced the wizarding community was of us "half-bloods". My parents feared corruption of the mind and I guess they seemed to overlook the fact that everyone, even the bashful boy in the corner, wanted company; wanted _friends_. As soon as I was "diagnosed", my parents pulled me out of nursery and I was home-schooled by mother. The result, of which, was the strong family bond I now share with my parents.

I had always looked forward to being enrolled in Hogwarts whenever I heard father bragging about his schooldays and having the time of his life, but I knew it was impossible considering the fact that most teachers would be petrified of even giving me demerits in fear of lethal late night visits every full moon. Professor Dumbledore dropped by for tea one evening and he observed me reading in the drawing room and the next thing I knew I was buying school supplies in Diagon Alley.

Boarding the Hogwarts Express, I did the unthinkable and befriended two young boys who were in the middle of planning to cause ruckus in the next compartment, which belonged to, at that time, "a greasy boy named Snivelly". At that time, my mother made me swear not to tell a soul about my disability in fear of causing havoc in school and thus I kept quiet and surprisingly... they (whom I'm later going to introduce as Sirius and James) dragged me in and I suddenly became part of the plan and, well, we were inseparable ever since.

Since I only had a handful of friends, and was quite weak in socializing skills, I stuck by them through and through, and we became brothers. We befriended another fellow – Peter Pettigrew – and we somehow named ourselves The Marauders. Funny story, actually; it all happened when all four of us were thrown in detention for "marauding the grounds in search of illegal activities" (kindly put by Filch) the night we were caught stealing mandrake roots for entertainment. (If you knew where to tickle them, they made lovely alarm clocks)

Before I knew it, I was elected prefect along with James (a shocker to most students) and I guess that was when my sensibility started kicking in. Causing havoc in Hogwarts during my early years, I had jolly good fun wreaking chaos and striking terror in the hearts of many at the _mere_ mention of our names. Not entirely used to having people actually _liking_ my company, I was blessed with friends who stuck by me – even when they found out I was bitten as a child. To say that I was terrified of being abandoned was an understatement, but I knew better than to doubt the loyalty of the Marauders. Instead of disposing of me for the likes of another prankster, they embraced my problem, sympathized with me and even came up with the _ludicrous_ idea of becoming animagi in order to accompany me during my transformations.

With friends like these, need I even say more?

Despite the bond all four of us shared, I couldn't help but think of the times I could have stopped many of the outrageous pranks we (or more specifically, James and Sirius) had carried out which nearly cost me my badge. My prefectship is, admittedly, something I was very proud of as a schoolboy to even be _appointed_ and it made my parents happy that I was living the life of a normal boy... or at least something close to it.

One of the many notorious pranks Sirius pulled (which nearly resulted expulsion) has burned into my mind and been the reason I had faced many sleepless nights. In fact, I would have given anything to stop it. Had James been late by only a second, I would now not only hold the title of a werewolf, but also a _murderer_. I didn't speak to Sirius for days after the incident because he was careless and stupid to have crossed the line of "good fun" and just plunged headfirst into "matters of life and death". Although the victim chosen was someone I wasn't very fond of, the situation Sirius had put him in was cruel even for greasy beings such as Severus Snape.

We got over the fiasco eventually, but it caused quite a scene in the headmaster's office. Dumbledore, for one, was furious with Sirius' reckless actions and Snape for wandering the grounds at that time of the night. I wasn't in trouble seeing how I wasn't in the proper state of mind to be justifying my actions but I guess that fateful night determined the limit of how far one could actually go with pranks and jokes. Nevertheless, the fact that I was capable of killing another being shook me so bad, that I even refused to be in the company of the animagi-Marauders in fear of hurting them, as I fully realized the danger I was capable of.

Reflecting on the past, I guess my father was quite right. I _definitely_ had the time of my life in Hogwarts.

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'Remus?' 

Brushing the hair out of my face, I turned to smile at Emily Hart. Her cheeks turned a tinge of pink and I beckoned her closer. Dusting the empty seat next to mine, I invited her to sit down. I haven't seen her for a good six years and she had definitely _blossomed_. No longer was she the timid girl I danced with on the night of the Yule Ball in Sixth Year, but here in front of me was a woman.

Running past the chair, she jumped into my arms and I blinked in confusion. Not wanting to make things more awkward than it already was, I engulfed her in a hug and pulled her close. As oddly as it sounds, we had been corresponding through owls all summer and we had lost touch three months before the Hogwarts Reunion. I had been busy moving around (I was forced to relocate every few months in fear of neighbours discovering they had more than they bargained for when I moved in next door) and she with her university degree in herbology in medicine use.

We've now even come to the point of our friendship where I am able to call her a "close friend", but not close enough to dig up my darkest secrets. Well, secre_t_, for that matter. I couldn't bring myself to telling her that I was a werewolf. It was bad enough that she was a pretty member of the fairer sex... and this is where many complications come in.

Being a werewolf made girls a very... complex issue. For one, I had to limit myself from being romantically involved with anyone. This would result in having extra feelings, which would lead to emotional turmoil, which would lead to confessing dark secrets, which would _eventually_ lead to the woman of my dreams horrified at the thought of being with a werewolf and screaming for her life. I've pictured this scenario one too many times and thus made it a point not to get too close to the opposite sex. Sure, I had my share of close girl friends, but that was it. I've never asked a girl out my whole life, and do not plan to.

I've accepted the life of a werewolf and (rather unwillingly) a bachelor. I knew the circumstances to follow if I were to have a steady girlfriend. Mother, James, Sirius and Peter have coaxed me into giving it a shot many times because they believe that once I find my companion, she wouldn't care whether I was a mummy or a werewolf. I'd like to believe them, but I wouldn't want to burden her (if I were to ever marry) into leading the life of a werewolf's wife. Quite frankly, I've sworn off girls, or dating of any kind.

And so as I gazed into Emily's eyes while we were catching up, I knew I could never be with her. She once confessed of having extra feelings for me during our correspondence, and that was when, ironic as it is, we "lost in touch". I can't exactly justify my feelings towards her but I knew no matter what it was, it would just have to be dismissed. I could tell that she was in love with me by the way she looked at me adoringly, but it's going to break my heart to tell her that I cannot be with her, or anyone for that matter.

My life as a werewolf isn't one that is easy. In fact, it's _far_ from it. I have to be careful with whom I befriend, where I stay and what I do. This is why I envied Lily and James' fairytale romance; Sirius and Jemima's chemistry and practically everyone else who had the chance to commit themselves to that one special person. Having distanced myself from developing extra feelings for the opposite sex, I have never, as depressing as this sounds, fallen in love. I never bothered to, knowing that it would only end up in heartache.

So I suppose it _is_ alright that I'll be best man to most of my mate's weddings and never be able to look into the eyes of someone with so much passion... Frankly, what choice have I got? I wasn't given much choice as a child, because no one really asks your permission before they bite you, do they? For the time being, there's nothing I can do but put on a smile for the world, pretend I've been having the time of my life ever since I left Hogwarts, and catch up with friends whom I have lost touch with over the years.

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_**Author's Note: **I know this chapter is pretty sudden and has not much connection with LAA, but I just thought I'd give Remus fans some satisfaction .Sorry if this took so long, as I just returned from a two-week vacation in Austria/Italy! It was beautiful – but then again, I'm in love with Europe. :p Anyway, this is my first shot at a Remus POV I hope the POV's convincing, and I think I'll continue with another Remus chapter before I head on to the James and Lily moment. _

_Do leave a review. :)_

_Love,_

_A. Khair._


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